I Can't Believe This Is Happening To Me!
by Sarzash
Summary: Bella and Jacob grew up together, so it only makes sense that when Bella moves to Forks, she spends a lot of time with Jacob. What happens when Bella stops visiting Jacob and he can't find her anywhere? M for later Chapters. Beta-d by LunaAva.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So, this is my second fanfic and my first Twilight fanfic. I would like to thank my beta X.x Undead Heart x.X for all the hard work that she has put into making this story that much better. =) *heart***

**I absolutely LOVE Jacob. So if you hate Jacob fans. That would be me. But please don't hate me. It's just SO tiring to have people hate you. *sigh* **

**I'm excited about this fanfic and hope you guys are too, so… without further delay…**

**Disclaimer: (ok, maybe a little bit further delay) I don't own Twilight or the characters used throughout this fanfic. Unless I say that they are my characters… but I don't think any of them will be. *sigh***

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Bella's POV_

"_Oh, Bella?" he called after me, his voice more even. He leaned toward the open window with a faint smile on his lips._

"_Yes?"_

"_Tomorrow it's my turn."_

"_Your turn to what?"_

_He smiled wider, flashing his gleaming teeth. "Ask the questions."_

_And then he was gone, the car speeding down the street and disappearing around the corner before I could even collect my thoughts. I smiled as I walked to the house. It was clear he was planning to see me tomorrow, if nothing else._

(pg. 225-226, Twilight by: Stephanie Meyer)

When I got inside, I turned and closed the door behind me. I was suddenly aware that I was very hungry. I had noticed that my appetite had been growing lately, so I didn't think much of it. After making dinner and eating plenty of it, I left a note for Charlie that I was going to head down to La Push for a while and that I wouldn't be out too late.

As I headed down the road that lead to the reservation, I tried to remember how to get to the little red house that was in my memories from when I used to come out here with Charlie. It didn't take me long to find it and I was a little surprised by how comfortable I was as I drove up the small driveway.

Before I could cut the engine, the front door opened and Jacob Black came striding over to the driver's door. He opened the door for me and, being my clumsy self, I practically fell out of the truck. I braced myself for the impact of the gravel driveway, but instead was caught by two big arms that wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me upright. I looked up into Jacob's face. "Thanks." I said quietly. He smiled at me before grudgingly releasing me.

"No problem, Bells." He said lightly. Bells? Oh yeah. That's what he always called me when we were kids. I started thinking back to the days that we would spend making mud pies behind his house. My thoughts were cut off when Jacob started speaking again. "So, why are you here? Are you having trouble with the truck?" he looked a little worried now and I couldn't help but smile at his face. He was just too cute for his own good sometimes.

"No," I replied, still smiling, "I came by to see you." He looked surprised at that and I laughed. "So, what were you up to before I came to invade your life? Oh. How did you know I was here?"

Jacob smirked and looked at the truck. The driver's side door was still open and I closed it quickly and pocketed my keys. "Well, that truck makes a lot of noise, I'd know it anywhere." I blushed but got ready to defend the truck before he continued. "I was just about to go out to the garage and work on my rabbit. I think some of my friends are stopping by later. But if you want to do something else, that's okay."

"No, that's fine, Jake." I said, grabbing his hand and heading off in some direction.

Jacob stopped abruptly, causing me to stop as well, seeing as I was still holding his hand. I turned back to look at him and he had the stupidest grin on his face, which made him just look cuter. "The garage is this way, Bells." He said as he started walking in the opposite direction. I felt my cheeks flush and tried not to let him notice. Of course, the very last strand of dignity that I had was destroyed when I tripped over my own feet on the way there. Jacob caught me again and I started busting up laughing. Jacob eyed me confusedly and I explained that I just failed at life miserably. He chuckled and, amazingly, I made it the rest of the way to the garage without almost getting myself killed.

We talked about random stuff as Jacob worked on the car. It looked amazing and Jacob had opened the passenger side door so that I could sit down.

After an hour, maybe a little more, I heard footsteps on the gravel driveway and some guys talking to each other. I went back to watching Jacob work, but looked up when the footsteps and talking cut off. At the 'door' to the garage were two Quileute boys. They looked to be about Jake's age and they were staring at me. I raised my eyebrows at them before returning to my previous occupation of watching Jake. But now, he wasn't working anymore and so I was really just staring at him for no good reason. I quickly looked away, embarrassed by my staring.

"Hey guys!" Jake called to the two boys that were still staring at me. "This is Bella." He told the boys and recognition crossed their faces.

"Oh. Hi, Bella, we've heard a lot about you…" the taller boy started. Jake cut him off with a look and I almost giggled. Almost.

I glanced over at Jacob and then looked back at the boys. They had huge grins on their faces now and I mentally rolled my eyes at whatever it was that Jacob had said about me. I didn't know him all that well, but he was a guy after all. "And you would be…?" I prompted after a moment of silence.

The taller boy immediately spoke up and walked forward with his hand outstretched. "Oh, sorry about that, I'm Embry and this is Quil." He motioned to the other boy as I shook his hand.

Another moment of awkward silence followed and then Jacob broke the tension by saying, "Who's hungry?" oh! I was _starving_. Jake glanced over at me because I had jumped up when he asked that. Surprisingly, I hadn't fallen over or hit my head on anything. Maybe I was getting the hang of this clumsy issue. "Sorry Bells, I'm not much of a cook."

I rolled my eyes and headed to the exit to the garage where the other boys stood. "But I am". I announced. Right when I finished saying it, I tripped over thin air. And almost busted my head open on the garage floor. That is, I would have if Embry hadn't caught me. Well, so much for 'getting the hang' of the clumsy issue. "Thanks. Sorry." I said as he stood me back up on my own two feet. He didn't move away until he knew that I wasn't going to fall again. At least not right that second. I glanced at Jacob, who flashed me a brilliant smile in return and headed to where I was waiting. "Do you mind if I raid your refrigerator and see what I can make?" I asked him on our way back to the house.

"Not at all. I think a nice home cooked meal sounds amazing. Don't you guys?" he called back to Quil and Embry. They both agreed and the phrase 'boys will be boys' popped into my head.

In the house I found what I needed to make lasagna and so I did. It didn't take too long to cook and the guys watched TV while I was making it. I could hear their conversation clearly from the other room and over the television and wondered why they were talking so loud.

"…she's hot man." I heard someone say. I didn't recognize the voice and decided that it probably belonged to Quil because he was the only one that I hadn't heard talk yet. "And she can cook. Nice."

"Yeah, where'd you pick her up again? I might have to visit the place, since you probably wouldn't take to kindly to me stealing Bella from you." That was Embry.

Then there was the sound that I recognized as flesh hitting flesh and pictured Jake punching Embry in the shoulder. "Shut up, man." Yup. That was Jacob. "We've known each other since we were, like, two."

I stopped listening to that conversation when I noticed it was almost time to take the lasagna out of the oven. I threw a salad together and found an array of dressings in the refrigerator. Wow. Who needed this many kinds of salad dressing. I got out the ranch and Italian, figuring that if anyone wanted something different, they could get it themselves. I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and turned it off. Everything smelled good and I called to the guys, "Food's ready."

They were in the kitchen in record time and I smiled. I let them get their food as I searched out some cans of soda. When I found some, I put them on the table and watched as the guys tried the food. "Wow Bells. This tastes even better than the mud pies you made me when we were kids." We both laughed and I wondered if he had ever really tried to eat any of those.

"Glad you like it." I replied as I grabbed myself a plateful. I know I just ate, like, two hours earlier, but I was _so_ hungry. I ended up eating more than any of the guys and they all stared at me like I was an alien.

"What?" I asked after I had finished eating. They all burst out laughing and I looked at them warily. And curiously.

"Well, I was just wondering if you had eaten in the past week is all." Embry said to me and we all started laughing. I pretended to get defensive, but couldn't hold up the charade for even a minute, which just made us laugh more.

In the end we only ate half the lasagna and half the salad, so I wrapped it up and put it in the refrigerator with heating instructions. Like I do with Charlie when I'm going to be out late. I told Jake what I had done and he thanked me.

The four of us hung out for about another hour and then I had to go home or Charlie would probably come out here with a shotgun. Jake reassured me that he wouldn't do that, "Your dad loves me." he proclaimed as he walked me out to my truck. I gave him a quick hug and then got in my truck. Jake leaned in the driver's side window to say good bye.

"Thanks Jake, I had so much fun. We should hang out again."

"Sure, sure. How about tomorrow?" his eyes brightened at the thought and I smiled back.

"Sounds great. I'll come by after school again." I told him before starting up the truck and driving back to Forks and Charlie.

The next couple weeks continued like that. I'd go to school with Edward then make dinner for Charlie. And then I'd head down to La Push to hang out with Jake. Sometimes Embry and Quil came over, sometimes they didn't. Jake and I did different things; we would hang out on the beach or in the garage. We tried hanging out in his living room a couple of times, but it was too boring and we'd always end up doing something else in the end. When there was a game on, Charlie would come with me and I'd just make dinner for everyone there. It was a comfortable life aside from the fact that Edward seemed mildly upset whenever I brought up my trips down there. I couldn't understand why, but I let it slip. He'd just have to deal with the fact that I'm friends with Jacob.

Jake and I were actually getting very close; he was really my best friend now. He could always make me smile, even on the saddest days and Quil and Embry were great too until Embry stopped hanging out as much. I tried talking to Jacob about it once, but it seemed like a sore subject, so I let it go. They'd make up soon enough.

All through this I didn't miss the fact that my appetite was growing rapidly and so was I. I had gained a few pounds of all muscle and a few inches in height. I was also never cold and I found that I was hardly ever clumsy at all. I did notice that I would easily get upset about the stupidest things. That is, unless I was around Jacob. On the positive side, I was doing amazing in Gym class now and I wasn't hurting people, or myself, much anymore. While this fact made me happy, I couldn't ignore the fact that I was changing and quickly in many ways.

**So? What did you think so far? Any ideas/comments/criticism are welcomed.**

**I'm going to try to get chapter two up quickly. Thanks so much for reading! =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright. Thanks to my beta for fixing my mistakes. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters used here.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Bella's POV_

I woke up and ran straight to the bathroom, getting there more quickly than I thought humanly possible. I didn't think much about that though, as I made it to the toilet just in time to throw up in it. The smell hit me instantly, causing another strong wave of nausea to come over me. I puked again into the toilet and flushed it as quickly as I could manage. After sitting there for a few more minutes, I decided that my puking fit was over, for right now anyways.

I felt extremely gross after the display and decided that a long, hot shower was in order. I quickly stripped down and stepped under the warm flow of water awaiting me.

The water felt amazing as it cascaded down my back. I washed my hair slowly, reveling in the scent of my favorite strawberry shampoo. I washed my body with my vanilla body wash. The two mixed together created my favorite scent in the world. Well, ok, if I was being honest with myself, my favorite scent was Jacob… or maybe Edward… No, it was Jacob. By far. He had an amazing scent, sort of woodsy, but not too much. He smelled like… _home._ It was as simple as that, I felt completely at home with Jacob. Even his scent told me that. I felt safe and loved and accepted, but there was still that humor-like attitude in the air, and that's what made it really feel like home to be with him. Did I love Jacob? Nah… he's my best friend. But… my thoughts were cut off when I felt the water suddenly turn freezing. It didn't seem that cold to me, which made me wonder if I was running a fever, but the water was slightly uncomfortable right now, so I decided that it was time to get out.

When I got back to my room, I threw my dirty clothes in my laundry basket and started searching out a camisole and some shorts. I then headed downstairs to find a thermometer. I figured I'd grab some food while I was down there.

When I got to the kitchen, I realized something and stopped short. It was pitch black outside. No light at all. I checked the clock on the stovetop and found that it was only 5:00 am! I couldn't believe that I was up this early!_ Oh well, I guess I'll get something to eat. I don't think that I'll be going to school today…oh! That reminds me…_ I started searching the kitchen for the thermometer that I never used.

I found it stuffed in the back of the silverware drawer and placed it under my tongue while I looked for something to eat. Why was I always so _hungry_!? The thermometer beeped, so I checked it. I could almost feel my eyes pop out of my head and roll around on the floor. I was running a 108 degree fever! I should be _dead_ by now!

I decided that, under these circumstances, it was in my best interest to go back to bed, but not before grabbing enough food to feed three people to take with me. I should definitely pull back on the food or I was going to gain a ton of weight. And that just wouldn't work out too well.

I must have fallen asleep, because I was awoken by the sound of a door opening. Some distant part of my brain thought it was a car door, but that was ridiculous, no human could hear a car door from here. I looked towards my door, but it was closed securely. I heard another door open and close, and finally mine opened after that. Edward stepped in along with an absolutely horrible smell. I stiffened and then started shaking subtly. "Are you doing alright, love?" he asked me quietly. He was at the side of my bed in a second, and in that same second, I was across the room at the window, which was suddenly open. _Whoa! How'd I get here? Why's the window open? Wait! Am I growling at Edward??_ I stopped my growling or whatever, and Edward moved slowly towards me. The same smell hit me again and I started shaking again. _If he gets any closer, I'll have to jump out the window._ Where'd that thought come from?

"Edward, stop. I'm just… not feeling well today, and I think that you should leave." With that, I ran past him and straight to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I distantly heard a door close, and then I was alone and at peace. Kinda.

After I heard Edward leave, I headed back into my room to grab my cell phone. I called the police station while I looked for some food. I was going on a hunch here, but I think that I might have figured out what was wrong with me. Of course, that all depends on what Charlie told me. "Hi, this is Bella Swan, I was wondering if I could speak to Chief Swan, please?"

"Oh, hi Bella," the officer on the phone said, "Yeah, just let me get him."

I only had to wait a minute before Charlie picked up. "Bella? Are you ok? Why aren't you at school?"

I rolled my eyes, just like Charlie to think that the only reason I would call him at work is because the world is ending and he missed the memo. "Hi Dad, don't worry, I'm fine. Well, I'm running a fever and woke up puking, but other than that I'm fine. I did want to know something though. Do you have any time to answer a couple questions for me?"

"Sure, Bells." Dad had picked up Jacob's nickname for me.

"Okay, so, this is going to sound really weird, but do I have any Quileute blood in me?" wow, way to work up to it Bella.

"Um… yeah. I think that you do… why?"

"No reason, just wondering. I've got to go dad! I'll see you later! Love you." Then I hung up and ran to get my keys. I had to make it to La Push, and fast. I noticed that I was still shaking, but it was only in my hands. As I drove the short drive to La Push, the shaking made its way up my arms as well. By the time I was actually at the Black's house, my whole body was shaking. "Billy!" I yelled through the door. Billy came wheeling out onto the front porch and I moved off of it, so that I wouldn't hurt him or anything. "Billy. I'm running a fever and the stories… they're true… I'm—" and then Jacob came running around the corner.

"Bella! Are you alright? You don't look—"

Billy cut Jake off. "Jacob! Inside now. Call Sam, and tell him to get down here immediately. Jake gave Billy and odd look, but his tone must have been enough, because Jake ran inside and I could hear him calling someone. "Bella." Billy pulled me back to what was happening here, "Bella, I need you to get into the forest. Don't go far, Sam will be there soon. Just go into the forest so you're out of sight." I nodded and ran into the forest at top speed.

_Sam's POV_

Emily and I were sitting on the couch making out when the phone rang. "Ugh. I'll get it, it might be one of the guys." I got up and headed into the kitchen where the phone was. "Hello?" I asked a little aggravated.

"Hi, Sam? This is Jacob Black." Jacob. I wonder if he phased. We've been waiting for him. "My dad said that I should call you and tell you to get down here immediately." He sounded unsure and like he was in a hurry. I'm guessing he hasn't phased yet.

"Alright, I'll be there in a second." I know it's not smart to use my wolf speed, but if Billy said now, then I better get there _now._ I didn't wait for Jacob to reply, only yelled that I had to go over my shoulder to tell Emily and ran out the door at top speed. I was at the Black's house in under a minute.

"What is it, Billy?" I asked as I ran up to where he was on the front porch. Jacob was there as well, looking very confused. Billy looked like he was on edge.

"Jake. Go inside. I need to talk to Sam about something. You'll find out about it soon enough." Jacob scowled and then headed into the house reluctantly. Billy turned back to me when he knew Jake was out of earshot. "Okay, Sam." He spoke quietly, almost at a whisper, but I could hear him just fine. "I need you to head into the forest. Not far."

"Is it another…?" I let the sentence trail off.

Billy nodded and threw me a very large t-shirt. Why a t-shirt? Won't the guy want some pants? I would worry about that later, for now I headed to the forest near the Black's house. When I got there, a large, completely white wolf was pacing around. He didn't look confused, like the rest of us had, just really aggravated. He looked up when he heard me coming. "It's okay. Everything is fine, don't attack me. I am going to explain everything to you." The wolf actually rolled its eyes. Not the reaction I was expecting.

The wolf sat down and just waited. "Okay. First, I guess I should tell you how to phase back. I'll turn around if you prefer." The wolf nodded his head and so I turned around. "Alright, you need to think of something that calms you. Oh! Wait." I turned around and tossed the large shirt to the annoyed-looking wolf. "You'll need that." I told him. I then turned back around and waited. It didn't take long, which was surprising. I heard the distinct sounds of someone phasing and then the sound that I suspected was the guy putting the shirt on.

"Alright, you can turn around now." The voice was very feminine. That was weird. I wondered which of the rez kids this one was.

I turned around and was completely shocked. There was some pale girl standing there. She didn't look Quileute at all. And she was a _girl_. I didn't know girls could phase. None of our stories talked about girls phasing, they were all about how the gene was passed from father to son. Part of my mind wondered if this was the first girl to ever phase.

"You can stop staring now." She said as she walked up to me. "I'm Bella Swan, you must be Sam Uley." I took her hand and nodded.

"This may sound rude, but how are you one of us?"

Surprisingly, she smiled. "I was wondering the same thing when I figured out what was happening to me. So I called Charlie… my dad… and asked him some questions. Turns out I have Quileute blood in me."

"Charlie? Are you Chief Swan's daughter?" _Wow, nice going Sam, you should have figured that one out when she said her name was Bella Swan._ Bella nodded her head and started fiddling with the shirt that went to her mid-thigh. "Oh. Do you want to get… something else to wear?"

"I think that would be best." She replied. I motioned for her to follow me. We could make it to my house through the woods, but it would take a little bit longer. Not much though, since we were both wolves. We ran through the woods as I led her back to my house.

"Okay, wait her for a minute, I'm going to send out my fiancé and she'll have some clothes for you. You guys probably aren't the same size, but she'll find something that will work." I headed off to find Emily.

_Bella's POV_

When Sam left, I took the opportunity to see what I looked like now. I glanced down at myself and was startled. I didn't look like this earlier. Wow. Just phasing for the first time changed me so much. I had a ton of muscle and I don't know how many inches I had grown. How was I supposed to explain any of this to Charlie?

I didn't have much time to think about that before a beautiful Quileute woman found me. At first glance, she was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen, Cullen's excluded, of course, but then I noticed the scars that ran down her face and disappeared somewhere beneath her shirt before reappearing on her arm. She was still absolutely beautiful even with the scars; I could guess what had caused them.

"You must be Bella, It's so nice to meet you. We weren't aware that a female could take on wolf form, it has come as quite a surprise to the pack, as well as to me. I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Emily, I am Sam's fiancé." Emily held out a hand and I took it.

"The pack?" I asked as she handed me some clothes, "exactly how many are there?" I changed into the clothes that she had brought me and was surprised to find that, despite the size, they didn't look too bad on me.

"Well, including you, there are five now." Emily answered, smiling warmly at me. Ok. Five. Not so bad. I wonder who, other than Sam, was in the pack. "They are waiting to meet you at the house; we are holding a pack meeting."

"And they are all guys?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Emily laughed at me apparent discomfort, "Do not worry. They are all very nice. They just… eat a lot. Well, if you have any trouble, it will be with Paul." A look of annoyance and worry crossed Emily's beautiful features. "And I'll be there as well. Well, I'll probably be cooking most of the time, but I'll still be close. Now, are you ready to go meet the guys?"

Well, this was it. no running and screaming now. "Yeah. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I tried a reassuring smile, but I don't think it worked out too well because Emily glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as we headed out of the forest and she still looked worried about me. She and I would probably be getting along pretty well. I smiled at the thought of making a new friend. We walked into the house and I just about turned around and walked right back out.

**Well? What do you think? Bella's a werewolf, weird, right? Yeah. Well, I feel sorry for her, she's all alone… meaning the only female werewolf… that's gotta suck. *sigh* **

**How is she going to deal with this? Well, maybe you guys can help me out with that one??? =) **

**Love you all!**

**REVIEW!! *heart***


	3. Chapter 3

**So… thanks for the reviews. =) I loved them all and the support. I'm glad you guys are liking this. Once I get further into the story I'm going to start posting questions about what you think should happen. I'm also going to start sending excerpts of the next chapter out to some of the reviewers. The number will change based on how many reviews I get from the chapter. So it will probably be the first 50% of reviews. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters.**

**CHAPTER THREE**

There, in the living room, were four _huge_ guys. I guess I was about the same size as any of them. Well, except for Sam. But it was still intimidating to walk into a room full of werewolves and be the only girl. Okay, so Emily was with me, but she was used to this, I wasn't used to the idea of being a part of this. I almost did walk out, well, run would be a better word, but Sam's voice stopped me.

"Bella. It's about time you got here." I took a deep breath and stepped slowly and deliberately into the living room. "Guys, this is Bella, Bella, this is the guys. That's Jared." Sam pointed to a tall boy with long, rounded muscles and cropped black hair. "And you already know Embry." Sam motioned to another boy in the room. Well, that explained why Embry had been missing for a while. "And, lastly, this is Paul." Sam walked behind one of the guys who was sitting on the couch and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sam looked like he was trying to restrain the other boy, but Paul looked completely at ease. Maybe he has a temper problem, that's what I'm gathering from all that I have heard about him. Paul was tall as well, a little shorter than Jared and Embry, which put him closest to my height. Great, not only am I the only girl, but I'm also the shortest. Not that I was short by any means, but all these werewolves were so tall! Paul also had cropped black hair, like the rest of them, and his muscles were quite obviously there, just less pronounced than Jared's. I still figured that he was the strongest, aside from Sam.

"Hey there." Paul waved with two fingers at me. I rolled my eyes and went to sit down. Unfortunately, now that Sam had gone to sit in the seat across the room, the only seat left was next to Paul.

Emily had disappeared into the kitchen, so I was the only girl left in the living room. I was thinking about going to see if I could help her, but Paul started talking again. "Come on Bella, what's the problem? I don't bite. Not in this form, anyways." There was a smirk spreading across his lips and I felt like punching him. I settled for sitting by him and ignoring him. Well, I tried to ignore him…

"Bella, I know that everything is a little disconcerting, what with you suddenly turning into a wolf and now you've got to put up with Paul, but let me explain what's going on." Sam was about to tell me everything, but I really didn't want to waste his time or breath.

"Look Sam," I interrupted, "you really don't need to tell me. I already know everything about how the werewolf thing started and how we are the 'protectors of our people' and I know about the pact that we have with the Cullen's. So, other than that, what were you planning on telling me?" everyone was sitting there, staring at me like my head had just exploded. "What?" I asked. I looked down to make sure that I didn't have brain guts covering me. I looked back up and they hadn't moved. "Do I have something on my face or something?" I asked.

Paul was the first to regain his composure. "No. your face is just as sexy as it was when you walked in here." I did punch him for that one, a perfect jab into his left ribcage. "Ow!" he grunted, doubling over on the couch where we were sitting. "Girl's got a mean right hook. I think she broke a couple ribs." I instantly felt sorry. I had forgotten about my strength and never wanted to actually hurt him.

I let my hands flutter over his wounds for a moment, feeling completely useless. "Oh. I'm so sorry. What can I do? Do you need an ice pack or something, anything? I didn't want to hurt you. I'm so, so sorry. Are you going to be okay? Should I take you to the hospital?" I realized that I was rambling, and when I noticed that all the other guys were laughing, I got confused. "What's so funny?"

Embry came over and gave me a huge hug. "Welcome to the family, Bells. Don't worry about Paul; I'm just surprised that he hasn't attacked you yet. We heal fast. He'll be completely back to his annoying self in a couple of hours." Oh. That's cool. I still felt bad about punching Paul, so I decided that I would just have to be nice to him for the rest of the day.

"Ok. Ok." Sam said. Everyone went back to their original seats and I sat back down next to Paul, not sure what to do. Before I could decide on something, Sam continued talking, "Now Bella, how did you know all of that?" everyone was serious again, and they were all looking at me. Again. Great.

"Well…" I started. Should I tell them about me and Edward? Would they hate me because of it? I have to tell them, I have to be able to trust them and they have to be able to trust me if I'm going to be a part of this pack. "I kinda dated Edward Cullen. Well, I guess that I still am, and he… and the other Cullen's… told me about you guys and the pact and everything. I just never thought that I would be joining the supernatural world," _at least not as a _werewolf, I mentally added. The whole thing came out in a rush and in one breath. I looked at them, waiting for a reaction.

"What?!" here it comes. Good bye world, dad… Jacob. Jared was staring at me. "You're dating a bloodsucker! Woah. You gotta break that off." he started laughing lightly. So they weren't going to kill me…? Yay! Hello again world, I'm not leaving you after all! Well, not right now anyway. "How can you stand the _smell_?"

Smell? I thought Edward smelled good, so did his whole family. Well, until this morning when… oh… yeah, I forgot about that. "Well, he didn't smell bad until this morning before I phased. And I don't think that relationship is lasting any longer. So. Nothing to worry about there." _I hope. _Jared rolled his eyes. Sam and Embry were smiling at me. I didn't want to look at Paul. Embry was right, this was like a family.

"Alright guys… and Bella… foods ready." Emily announced, coming around the corner. We all jumped up, but then I held back and let the guys get their food first, Emily already had hers and I could guess that was because she didn't expect anything to be left after all of us ate. If all their appetites were like mine, then I could understand that, even with the huge mountain of food that was on the table.

After we ate, everyone started to leave. I guess that was my cue. "Um… thanks for the food and all, Emily. And well, thanks for everything, really, guys. Both of you have done so much for me today. I guess it's time for me to go home. I should go apologize to Jake about what happened and all that stuff." I headed for the door, but a strong hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around.

"Bella," Sam started, he looked a little bit upset about whatever he was about to say, "I know that you and Jacob are good friends and all, but you can't see him. You haven't been trained and I can't risk that you might phase in front of someone." He looked at Emily. "You could hurt him. Or Billy. You're going to have to go through training. It won't last forever, just about a month. And then you can go back to your normal life. Well, except that you will now be a werewolf. It's up to you if you would like to switch schools and come to school with the rest of us in order to be closer in case of an emergency or anything. You could probably even move in with someone out here. Billy knows all about this, the whole council does. I guess you already knew that though, didn't you? That's why you went to Billy when you realized what was happening." I nodded my confirmation. "Anyway, we can tell Charlie because he's your father, but Jacob knows nothing about this and we need to keep it that way as long as possible." I knew something like this would happen. Great, so now I lose my mortality, my boyfriend, my school, my home, _and My Jacob_ all in the same day. This just sucks. Oh well…

I sighed, "Alright Sam. So, when does training start?"

"Now. We are going to take you back to your house so that you can pack some clothes… I advise taking _a lot_ of clothes seeing as they get shredded when you phase while still wearing them. We will explain everything to Charlie, don't worry, I'll stay close enough that I won't let you phase near him; I wouldn't risk Charlie's life. Then, we are off to take you to training. It will last for about a month, and I'm sorry, but you're going to be spending that month with Paul. He was the second to phase, so, next to me, he is the most experienced. I would teach you, myself, but I have to stay here and look after the other two. We are also expecting some more wolves soon, but you never know when they are going to phase. You took longer than most of us because you don't have as much Quileute blood as we do, obviously. So, ready to go tell your dad?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. Sam went to get my truck while I waited at his house. This was going to be a long month.

Charlie took the news better than I thought he would. Of course, we didn't tell him about the Cullen's, and we may have left out a few things about being a werewolf that he could learn about later on, when the time came. But for now, he took it really well. Now I was in my truck with Sam, who was driving me out into a desolate part of the forest on the packs side of the treaty line.

"Well, Bella, here we are. I hope you have fun." We had just pulled up to a small cabin in the middle of the forest. It was so small; it probably could only hold two rooms. I was worried to find out how many of those were bedrooms. "I'm sorry about having to deal with Paul for this." Sam continued as we unloaded my bags from the back of the truck. I had packed just about all of my clothes and had to use all the bags that were in the house. Emily even let me borrow a couple bags from her.

We were about to take the bags in when I felt a warm arm brush against mine and someone grabs half the bags I was carrying. My head snapped around to the side and there was Paul staring at me with the biggest grin on his face. It was ridiculous. I rolled my eyes at him but didn't object to him carrying the bags. It didn't make a difference now thanks to my werewolf strength. Paul's grin grew and Sam pushed him through the door, grumbling something incoherent.

Well, my worries were amplified when I found out that there was only one bedroom and a kitchen in the little cabin. That meant that either I was sleeping in the kitchen, or I had to share a room with Paul. Great, we were going to be at each other's throats the whole time. Neither of us would ever get any sleep.

I sighed and dropped the bags in the bedroom before heading into the kitchen to see what there was to eat. Looks like I'm expected to be cooking for the month. I guess we will be going into town at some time though, to get more food. There was no way that we would be able to live off of this little food. Paul and I would probably go through everything in the kitchen in less than a week. I found some chips and started eating some.

"Alright you two, I'll be checking in when I can. Please don't kill each other while I'm gone." Sam called from the front door. Then he was gone and I heard the sound of my truck pulling away from the cabin and down the dirt road.

The bag of chips was snatched from my hand and Paul was leaning back in a chair at the table eating them. I took a deep breath and promised myself that I wouldn't get angry enough to phase. I walked over to where Paul was sitting and pulled a chair with me to sit next to him. "Hey." I greeted him as I reached into the bag and ate some chips.

"Hello Isabella." He said in a voice that suggested that he knew I didn't like the name. I glared at him and he chuckled. "Don't worry; I'll call you Bella if you want. Can I call you Bells?"

"No."

"Why not? Embry says that's what Jacob calls you. Why can't I?" he leaned closer to me.

I turned so that I was facing him, "Because you aren't Jake." I said plainly before returning to the chips. I felt Paul return to his previous position next to me, leaning back in the chair.

"Ah. So, you and Jakey, huh?" I looked at him confused. "Well, do you guys have something going on? Were you seeing Jacob behind the leech's back? Speaking of the leech, did you break it off with him yet?"

"No, I haven't exactly had the time to do that, and no, Jake and I are just friends." _I_ _think_. "So, what are we doing today?" I asked in order to change the subject. I looked at Paul who was still staring at me.

After a minute, he responded, "Well, I thought that we would start by teaching you how to make sure your clothes don't explode all the time." I looked at him with the silent question of _'and how are we supposed to do that?'_ written all over my face. Paul laughed at my face and I glared at him. "Okay, come with me and I'll show you." He got up from his chair and headed outside, I followed behind him. We were in the middle of a huge forest, so we didn't have to go far before we were covered by the trees, we couldn't very well be phasing in plain view of people, so, the cover of trees was necessary.

"Okay, take off your dress." Paul motioned to the sundress that I was now wearing.

"Excuse me?" I replied, staring at him like he was crazy. "You want me to undress in front of you?"

Paul stepped forward so that he was right in front of me. He slowly pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground. I was so stunned by his muscular chest that I didn't notice what he was doing until I felt his warm fingers brush my leg. I hit him in the jaw with my knee and there was a popping sound. "Hey!" Paul exclaimed as he popped his jaw back into place. "What was that for?"

"That was for trying to take my clothes off, you idiot!" Paul and I were both shaking now and that wasn't good. Paul phased first and lunged for me. I dodged his fist lunge and then I phased too. We fought for a little bit, but ended up just taking out our anger on one another. We were yelling back and forth at each other through our minds and I was partially aware that we weren't alone there. Jared and Embry were patrolling the area around La Push and they were yelling at us to stop fighting. After a little bit, we both cooled down and ended up phasing back. That's when I realized that my clothes had exploded, so Paul and I were both standing there completely naked in front of each other. I couldn't help but admire his figure. He was beautiful and I wanted to just reach out and touch him.

Of course, Paul had to ruin the whole thing by saying something stupid. "See something you like?"

"Shut up, Paul. You're the one who was trying to undress me ten minutes ago." I looked down at my body and found that all the little scratches I had were healing already. They would be gone by tomorrow, some sooner. I didn't feel awkward standing naked in front of Paul like I thought I would, I just sort of accepted it.

"Well, I have to say, it's a nice view." Okay, now I felt awkward. Did he really just say that? I stared at him wide-eyed for what felt like forever as a slow smile crept across his face. I could see a plan formulating behind his dark eyes, but I had no idea what that plan could be, or what it could be about. Paul started moving towards me slowly. "So. Now what are we going to do about this situation?" his smile was turning into a smirk now. "I can think of a few things that we _could_ do. It's up to you though, Bella. I don't want to do all the work here." He was so close now, that if I moved at all, I would touch him. "So, Bella," he finished, taking that last step that made our bodies brush against one another, "what would you like to do?" Paul's head was bending towards min now and I knew that I had to make a decision. This was insane, of course. Paul was an aggressive, temperamental jerk. But he was so close, and so warm, and so beautiful. _Stop it, Bella._ The voice in my head said, _come back to reality now. This is not the guy you like; you are not allowed to be attracted to him. Don't do anything stupid. Turn and run back to the cabin, put on some clothes and forget that this ever happened. Now._

**So…?? Anything to say? Let me know what you think. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Love you all! =)**

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	4. Chapter 4

**I couldn't sign in fast enough to post this chapter! I'm so excited!**

**Okay, so… some changes for this chapter. I'm writing in Jacob's POV. Yay! =)**

**Oh… and… hehe… well… Jacob fans are going to hate me for this chapter, but be patient, because it will all work out in the end…**

_**Thanks for all the great reviews, I may actually use some of your ideas in later chapters, I'll be sure to give you the credit if I do. =) thanks so much and also thank you to my beta: X.x Undead Heart x.X who is helping me out so much**_ _**! You did an absolutely AMAZING job with this chapter!**_

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters.**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_Jacob's POV_

I was in my room working on some math homework because there was no school today. I don't understand how some people actually get this stuff, it's way too confusing. I sat down the homework and let my thoughts wander. I found myself thinking about Bella Swan. We had always hung out as little kids. Making mud pies in the backyard, throwing each other into the ocean. Even then, she was clumsy and I was always saving her from falling over thin air. I wonder if she remembers the time my sisters dared me to kiss her.

That was a weird day. I didn't.

I was too scared that Bella would get mad at me, but I wanted to.

I still want to.

Bella would probably be coming over after school today, just like she does every day. I smiled at the thought of seeing her. We were best friends, but I wanted to be more. I love Bella… well, I think I do anyway. Everyone says that at the age of sixteen, we are too young to know what love really is, but when it comes to Bella, nothing else matters. I just want to be with her all the time. I wanted to hold her, whisper sweet things into her ear, kiss her…

The sound of a truck driving up my driveway broke me out of my daydream. I knew the sound of that truck, but knew that it couldn't be Bella. She was at school; maybe Charlie had the day off and wanted me to check it. I didn't get up, I didn't want to stop thinking about Bella; her beautiful brown eyes that shined even in my dark garage, her long curly mahogany hair that I just wanted to run my fingers through, even the way that she was always so clumsy and tripping over herself made me happy, but she wasn't clumsy anymore, not really. She was only clumsy when she was thinking about something really hard. I wondered what it was that she was always thinking about during those times.

Suddenly, I heard a voice that I knew had to be in my mind, because she was at school, wasn't she? I left my room and headed to the front door. She sounded frantic and I only caught the end of what she was saying, "…they're true… I'm—" she stopped talking when she saw me.

"Bella! Are you alright?" I asked, she didn't look so good, "You don't look…"

I was cut off by my dad, "Jacob! Inside now, call Sam and tell him to get down here immediately." Why would I need to call Sam, what did Sam have to do with anything, and why did he need to be down here? Oh well, dad sounded serious, so I ran inside and called Sam as soon as I got to the phone.

"Hello?" Sam answered the phone, he didn't sound very happy about being called right now. He had probably been making out with Emily. Gross, never mind.

"Hi, Sam, this is Jacob Black." I tried to sound as pleasant as I could, but I didn't really like this guy. "My dad said that I should call you and tell you to get down here immediately." I still didn't know why he wanted me to call Sam, but it must be important and it had to do with Bella, I really need to get back to her. I hope she's okay.

"Alright, I'll be there in a second." I didn't want to reply; I hung up the phone and headed for the front door.

When I got there Bella was gone, but her truck was still there, Sam ran up then. Wow, when he said a second he meant a second. "What is it, Billy?" He asked, running up to where we were on the front porch. My dad looked really stressed right now.

"Jake go inside, I need to talk to Sam about something. You'll find out about it soon enough." I scowled and then headed into the house reluctantly. I walked down the hallway to my room, but didn't go in. I closed the door loudly and then headed back to the kitchen silently to listen to what was going on. "Okay, Sam." Billy spoke quietly, almost at a whisper, but I could hear him since I was so close. "I need you to head into the forest. Not far."

"Is it another…?" Sam let the sentence trail off.

That was it, I heard Billy start messing with the wheels on the chair, so I headed quickly and silently back down the hallway. I opened my bedroom door and went in, closing it silently and lying down on my bed. _What's going on? Where's Bells? What happened? I hope she's okay, what if she isn't, what am I going to do?_ My thoughts trailed off in similar ways.

Bella didn't come by that afternoon; I called her house wondering if she was sick. Charlie answered and told me that Bella was running a really high fever and that she wouldn't be able to hang out for a while. That was all he said, he wouldn't let me know anything else.

I need to talk to Bella; she needs to know how I feel about her and I need to know how she feels about me. Maybe, just maybe she feels the same way about me. Maybe we can be together?

_Bella POV__** (Jacob fans, just wait it out. If you still hate me at the end of the chapter, fine.)**_

Paul's lips moved closer to mine, my lips were only a centimeter away from his. Then he stopped. He didn't move any closer or any further away, he was leaving the choice up to me. All my resolve flew out the door along with the voice that was telling me to run as I closed that small amount of space between us.

My hands ran up his chest and tangled themselves in his short black hair, pulling him closer to me. I felt warm hands grab my hips and Paul pulled me further into him. Our lips touched and made me gasp. His were so soft on mine as they moved; he tasted like peppermint and musky. He smelled like the woods and believe it or not Old Spice. His sent and taste made me dizzy and week in the knees. Or maybe it was because I forgot to breathe? I then realized that I was standing in the middle of the forest, naked, kissing a guy that I met that same day, who was also naked. I pulled out of the kiss and away from Paul immediately.

Paul gave me a confused look before asking, "What?"

I looked at him like he was insane, who knows maybe he is insane. It would certainly answer some questions. Great, I'm living with an insane guy for a month. "Oh, nothing, I just don't typically make out with guys who I just met that day. It's kind of new to me." I replied sarcastically. "Not to mention the fact that we are both naked. Speaking of which, I think that I'll go get some clothes on now." With that, I turned and headed in the direction of the cabin.

I could feel that Paul was close behind me, but didn't look to make sure. I really don't want to see him right now. I was starting to think this whole we-are-sharing-a-room thing was going to be worse than I thought.

When we got back to the cabin, I closed the front door in Paul's face and went into the bedroom to get some clothes on. It didn't take him long to come into the room, but I had gotten dressed fast. "Really, Bella? Jeans and a long-sleeved shirt? Are you that worried that I'm going to try something?" he asked.

"No." and it was the truth, well, until he mentioned it. But the reason I had covered so much skin wasn't because I didn't trust him, it was because I didn't trust _me_.

Paul walked to the other end of the room where there were some bags that weren't mine. He put on a pair of boxers and a pair of shorts that reached to his knees that was it no shirt. I wanted to tell him to put some clothes on, but then he would know that he was affecting me and I don't want that so I did my best to ignore his six pack… needless to say that was nearly impossible.

After dinner that night I changed into a pair of black guy boxers and a white camisole. It was one of my favorite outfits because it was so comfortable, but tonight I wasn't so sure that it was the best choice. Paul wouldn't give me three minutes without looking at me and he always had this look on his face that suggested that he knew something that I didn't.

I was curled up on the bed after changing, with the blanket underneath me because I don't get cold anymore, when Paul walked into the room. "Hey." He greeted me, pulling off his shorts, leaving him in only a pair of dark blue boxers. Yeah, I should have worn something else. I nodded my response and slid under the covers as way of covering more of my body from him and getting out of his reach. Paul smirked at me and jumped under the blanket next to me. I remember thinking that this bed was actually pretty big, but looking back now I never estimated in the fact that Paul and I were both werewolves and that we were larger than the average human being. So we didn't have much room left in the bed once both of us were in it. I was always more comfortable sleeping on my right side, so I rolled onto my right side, this also created more room between me and Paul, that was a positive. The negative was that now I was facing him. He smiled and also rolled so that we were facing each other only his movement brought us closer. I scooted away from him, but ended up almost falling off the bed in the process.

Paul caught me before I could hit the ground and pulled me on top of him. "Bella, you are the clumsiest werewolf ever, you know that?" I giggled despite the position I was in. Paul had me lying on top of him with my legs on either side of his hips so that if I were to sit up I would be straddling his hips. My hands were gripping his shoulders and my face was hovering inches above his.

"Thanks." I whispered.

I went to move off of him, but he held onto me. I looked at him questioningly. "I like this position." his voice was husky and I could feel his hot breath on my face. His hands were holding my waist on both sides, my bare waist might I add sense my shirt got pulled up a bit. One of his hands crept around from my waist to the small of my back and pushed that part of my body further into him. My grip on his shoulders tightened as I lowered my mouth to meet his.

Our mouths were still for a moment and then Paul kissed me. He kissed me hungrily forcing my mouth open with his and plunging his tongue in.

After making out for a few minutes Paul started pushing down the black boxers I was wearing. That's when I pulled away. It's not that it wasn't…_pleasurable_… because it was. But it just didn't feel right, making out with Paul. I felt like I was betraying someone. But who? Edward? I don't think so, but maybe. Maybe I should just, make sure that I break things off with us… officially… before I try anything with someone else.

Paul was looking at me confused, so I explained the 'situation' to him. He said that he understood, I gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and moved to the other side of the bed, curling up into a fetal position like I did every night since I was little, sleeping next to Jake.

Our fathers always put us together because I didn't relate to Jake's sisters as much as I did to Jake himself; he and I had become best friends quickly. We were so inseparable that Charlie and Billy couldn't even tear us apart to go home to bed. Eventually they caved and I would stay over with Jacob or he would come and stay with me and Charlie every night until I had to leave and go back home to Renee.

Jacob had always made me feel so safe and warm when we slept together. He would always wrap his arm around me and I would snuggle up into him, not in any sexual way, but just the way kids do. He was always there looking out for me, protecting me in any way that he could. Even thought he was younger than me he was always there to catch me when I fell even if I brought him down with me sometimes. If I ever got hurt, he would hold my hand while Charlie fixed me up or ran me to the hospital in more severe cases. I remember that the doctors didn't want Jake to be there while the put my arm in a cast or checked me for a concussion, but I never let them take him away from me. They would eventually accept it and work around him because I was such a stubborn child.

I guess that now that I am… what I am… a werewolf… it's my turn to protect Jacob, and I will with every breath I have.

**Just be patient, Jacob is coming in soon and things are going to get complicated and dramatic… and exciting. **

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: who is your favorite wolf and who is your favorite vampire. You can choose anyone, even the Volturi and their guard and anyone who came in Breaking Dawn. PLEASE ANSWER THIS, IT IS VITAL! I'LL ALSO POST IT AS A POLL ON MY PROFILE.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who is following this story and especially to my reviewers. =) it means so much to me that you are being involved in this story and letting me know what you think about it. =)**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters used in this story.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_Bella's POV_

The days continued much the same after that. I was no longer uncomfortable stripping in front of Paul and we cuddled in bed at night. Snuggling up into his arms at night reminded me of those nights that I would sleep with Jacob when we were kids. Surprisingly, I didn't feel as protected with Paul's arms around me, as I used to feel with Jake's even though Jake was much younger and much less capable of fighting against some big, scary man… or vampire. Sam checked in every once in a while to monitor my progress, which was slower than anticipated due to the fact that Paul and I spent a lot of the time either making out or ended up phasing back and making out in the middle of our training sessions. The guys were all starting to get irritated by our displays during pack meetings that would be held every time Paul and I had to go into town for food or something like that. They never let me out amongst the people during these trips. Paul would simply usher me to Emily's house and then go off to get groceries. When he would come back, we would always hold a pack meeting. About halfway through the meetings, Sam would have to use Alpha command and break up our make-out sessions.

"You guys seriously need a new hobby!" Sam was saying one day. "I'm glad that you are together… I guess… but _really_!! And you have both accepted the fact that one of you could imprint, right?" I was confused by this question. Imprint? I had heard that word thrown around in the pack's mind every now and then, but never thought anything of it seeing as it didn't have anything to do with me, so I didn't need to be nosey, but now that Sam was talking about it and me, I was very confused. Sam noticed my confusion. "Paul! You haven't explained imprinting to her?!!?" Paul shifted uncomfortable beneath me and all the wolves were looking at us.

"Well. Not exactly…" Paul answered.

Sam was definitely angry now, he was shaking and I was worried that he would phase then and there. Emily walked over and grabbed his hand and the shaking subsided, it was like she had some kind of magical power over him. I had never seen anyone stop from phasing so fast, it was ridiculous. Not even I could keep from phasing when I was that far gone, and I was the most controlled one out of all of us, the guys thought that it was because I was a girl.

Sexist werewolves.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Sam started talking again. He was speaking through gritted teeth, but he still wasn't shaking as Emily held his hand. "Paul." He said, in a warning tone. "If you don't tell her, then I will. You have two days." I was utterly confused by this but didn't get the chance to ask because Sam moved on to pack business.

"Paul?" I asked when we got back to the little cabin in the woods. I walked to the kitchen so that I could start making dinner for us. Paul came into the kitchen behind me and pressed his chest into my back, wrapping his strong arms around my waist.

"Hmmm…?" he asked as he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses on the back of my neck, moving around so that he could reach down my collar bone. I let him turn me around so that I was facing him. His mouth devoured my throat, my hands moved down his bare chest, resting at the hem of his shorts that were hanging low on his hips. Paul ground his hips into mine and a low moan escaped my mouth without my permission. I quickly pushed away from him, clamping a hand over my mouth and feeling the blush creep into my cheeks. Paul had gotten used to me pulling away if I got too involved in the kiss or whatever we were doing at the time. However, he looked a little bit upset about it this time. I guess that it was probably because we had come further than usual this time. I mean, I practically had my hands down his shorts, which was certainly a new step for us… well, not counting that first kiss in the forest…

Paul quickly regained his composure and sent a small smile my way. I returned it and gave him a small peck on the lips and returned to mixing the salad that I was making before he interrupted. As wolves we prefer to eat meat, but I also like my salad. The guys had decided that I was weird, but I really didn't care much because they all love me anyways and we all know that I'm weird. Well because I'm a female wolf and I took it all so well and I dated a vampire… the list of my weirdness goes on and on…

Paul sat down at the small table to watch me as I worked. "Paul?" I asked innocently. He tilted his head to the side in silent inquiry and I hesitated a moment, worried about how he would react, but the burning need for answers was too strong to ignore any longer. "Will you tell me now? About… imprinting?"

I heard him take a deep breath, but it didn't sound like he was too bothered by the question, which was good because he had such a horrible temper. I had a pretty bad temper too, but I could also control myself. I usually did this by thinking of Jacob, but the guys didn't know that… and they didn't need to know that.

"Well… imprinting is… what wolves, werewolves, do when we find our… soul mates." He sounded so unsure about something, but I wasn't sure what it was. I glanced at him over my shoulder. "It's supposed to be rare and so far only Sam has imprinted on Emily." I nodded at this information. It made sense now why Sam had calmed down so immediately when Emily took his hand earlier. "Bella, you have to accept that if one of us finds our imprint, we can't continue this relationship." I understood what he was saying and why Sam was so upset about it all earlier. If one of us imprinted, then we might end up hurting the other one. I decided that I would think about this all later as I finished up the salad and moved to the table with the spaghetti as well. Paul and I ate in silence. He knew that I was processing the information and thinking about it and I was grateful that he let me think in peace.

I eventually accepted it and decided that Paul and I could keep up our relationship because we both understood the situation and would just deal with it if one of us imprinted. I suspected that it would probably be him that imprinted anyway because I wasn't even supposed to be a wolf in the first place.

It was nearing the three week mark of me being in training and Sam said that I would get to go out and be near humans this weekend so that they could test me to see how well I did with the whole thing. I was looking forward to it and hoping that they might let me go visit Jake, but I didn't think that they would. Sam told me that Jake was starting to show the traits of becoming a werewolf and that worried me. I didn't want him to have to face this life and I especially didn't want him to have to face me and Paul being together. I know that he would have to learn about it sooner or later, but the fact that as a wolf, he would be able to _see_ us together in our minds was so much worse. I know that Jacob likes me; he has since we were kids and I just wasn't sure that I liked him in the same way. I mean, I know I do, I just don't know how much. I might like Paul more, but when I think back on it, all those wonderful times with Paul or when I would fall asleep at night. It isn't the thoughts of Paul that I would fall asleep thinking about.

It was Jacob.

I would fall asleep thinking of Jake almost every night and, of course, I put that off as just missing him, but maybe I really did love him as much as he loved me, but that didn't matter because I was with Paul now and I couldn't just leave him without it being because of an imprint.

Three days later and it was Friday. I was so excited, today was the day that I get to start hanging around humans again. I would also be starting school at La Push High once I finished training up next week. That is, if I pass the test today.

Paul was driving me down to the beach right now, where I would be close enough to the woods that they could take me in there if I started to phase and where there wouldn't me too many humans around for them to have to protect if things got out of hand.

We got to the beach and I was so excited that I literally jumped out of the cab and ran around in the sand like a crazy person, arms thrown up in the air, head thrown back and screaming happily through a fit of giggles. I could hear the guys chuckling quietly and noticed that some of the people on the beach had stopped to stare at me like I was a crazy person. So, just because I could, I continued my insane running and ran straight into the freezing water. It wasn't that cold to me because I was a werewolf. The people on the beach were all staring at me as I resurfaced because I was crazy enough to actually go into the water in the first place and on top of that, it was with all of my clothes on. I decided to ignore their stares and go for a swim. That is, I would have decided to do that if a strong arm hadn't surprised me and started pulling me out of the water. I pouted up at Embry, who just shook his head and chuckled lightly at me.

I wasn't ready to come out of the water yet, I was having fun for the first time in a long time. Before Embry could get me completely out of the water, I stopped and pulled back on his arm, pulling him into the crashing waves with me. I swam away from him and started giggling, he went underwater then, and my giggling stopped. I was worried that he was drowning or something until I felt a warm hand wrap around my ankle and pull me underwater. Embry and I kept fighting like that until Jared and Paul pulled us both out and brought us back to an amused looking Sam.

I smiled innocently up at my Alpha and he chuckled under his breath. "Come on, Bella. Enough playing, it's time to see how you handle yourself around humans." I sighed, but complied and we started walking down the beach like any normal group of teenagers, aside from the fact that all the guys looked like body builders without the gross bulging muscles and I could take any one of them down in a heartbeat. Well, maybe not Sam. We haven't wrestled before. I was holding Paul's hand, of course, but it felt a little weird for some reason, like my inner wolf wanted to let go and run free. I felt like running in a certain direction, like there was something I had to get to, but I ignored it and continued walking with the guys, holding Paul's hand in mine.

We were laughing and having fun when I saw someone. They were facing the other way, but I knew exactly who it was immediately. Well, a part of me did anyway, my wolf self knew who this was. Suddenly I couldn't hear the guys anymore and I was subconsciously aware that I had stopped walking and someone had run into me, but I didn't care. The guy turned around to face me and my face lit up with joy. My whole world meant nothing without him in it. It was like nothing I've ever felt before and all I could think about was the boy in front of me. That is, until Jared had to step in front of me and block my view of the person I've been waiting to see for so long.

"Bella." He said, knocking his knuckles on my forehead, "Anyone in there? Wake up." I shook my head and knocked his hand away, scowling at him before pushing him out of the way and running into the surprised man before me. _Jacob_. My wolf self purred his name happily as I laced my arms around his body with no intention of ever letting go.

I noticed that I had knocked the wind out of him and that he had no idea who had just attacked him in the middle of the beach. I released my hold on him and stepped back, smiling hugely. Jake looked up at me. Yes, up, because I was taller than him now, but Sam was right, he was starting to show the traits of becoming a wolf. A smile spread across Jake's face when he recognized me and then he took in my changed body. My hair had grown and thickened out and the curls were much prettier now. I had refused to let them cut it short and it didn't really look that bad as a wolf either, not with the white fur. It would probably look dumb on the other wolves for their fur to be as long as mine, but maybe the _mystical power people_ decided to give me a wolf that would look fine with long fur, because I was a girl.

I heard the guys approaching and quickly wrapped my arms back around Jacob's waist, careful not to hold on too tight, seeing as I could crush him if I did. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around me as well. It was kind of awkward since I was taller than him, only by a couple inches, but I was hoping that after he phased that he would gain height and be taller than me again. It was much more convenient when he was.

"Bella?" came from behind me. It was Paul and he sounded a little bit upset for some reason. Weird. Jacob stiffened in my arms and I remembered that he really didn't like Sam and his 'group of followers'. I sighed, realizing that I had become one of those in his eyes.

I released Jacob and pulled back to stand with the pack. Paul took my hand in his and it felt even weirder than it had before. Sam gave Paul a look that I couldn't completely understand. It seemed somewhat disapproving, yet also a little sad and sympathetic. I looked at Sam questioningly, but all he did was shake his head and continue to look at Paul with the same expression until Jacob cut in, breaking the silence.

"Bells, why are you hanging out with these guys?" his voice was worried and angry and his eyes were zeroed in on my hand in Paul's. I quickly released Paul's hand and moved to reassure Jacob until a hand clasped my forearm and I turned to see Jared holding me back. I glared at him and my hands started shaking slightly. I willed myself to stop shaking, but he wasn't going to let me see Jacob and for some reason that just made me madder. I felt a semi-warm hand grasp mine and my shaking immediately subsided. I looked to see not Paul, but Jake holding my hand. This wasn't right. There he goes protecting me again when I am the one that should be protecting him. I sighed and yanked my arm out of Jared's grasp to wrap it around _My_ Jacob again. Wait _'My' _Jacob? When did he become mine and when did I start feeling this way?

"Bella, I need you to come talk to Paul and I. It's kind of important." Sam said. I just clung onto Jacob tighter, like a kid who didn't want to go to their first day of kindergarten, ignoring Sam's request. Because that's what it was. A request. Not an order. "Please Bella? You can come back and see Jacob after we talk." I reluctantly released Jake and placed a small kiss on his cheek, not sure why I did it. Not sure why I feel this way all of the sudden.

I pondered why I would kiss Jake on the cheek as I walked down the beach away from him with Paul and Sam. My heart felt as if a string was attached to it and I was pulling away from it. As if the string was somehow connected to something Jacob and my heart and wolf side knew it. I didn't understand it, but my wolf did, and it hurt. Paul didn't hold my hand this time; he had a far off sort of look on his face that worried me. Let the talk begin.

**So? You know what I want, you're ideas and thoughts and all that. =)**

**Love you guys. Don't forget to answer the polls on my profile. I really need to know what you think even if you just tell me your favorite wolf and vamp in a review, I'll be happy with that, but this information is IMPORTANT!!! **

**So, favorite wolf and favorite vampire, please. Use ANY of them. =)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's late!**

**Thanks to my reviewers and to my beta. Love you all! =)**

**tarsan, I love your thoughts on the last chapter. I'll probably use it if you'll let me. **

**Check out my 'profile page' to vote on your fav. Wolf and vamp. It will be needed later in this story. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or these characters. Blah, blah, blah… moving on…**

**CHAPTER SIX**

_Bella's POV _

"Bella," my head snapped around to Paul and Sam, not sure who had said my name. "I need you to focus." Oh, it was Sam. I had been watching Jacob down the beach while he and Quil were talking to Embry. It was nice to see the trio together again. I know that Jake and Quil had been missing Embry a lot. _Jake_. Just thinking his name filled me with joy and…love? No. I've thought about this before, but I couldn't help but think that I love Jacob Black.

"Bella!" it was Paul this time, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned to Paul, taking in his broken expression; he looked completely torn and destroyed. I had never seen him so vulnerable and open. I moved to comfort him, but he shook his head at me. "Don't, Bella. Just listen to Sam." After frowning at Paul, I turned my attention to Sam who also looked sad, but not near as bad as Paul. _What happened?_ My mind ran through so many possibilities of what could have happened, but nothing stood out to me.

Sam saw that he had my full attention and took a deep breath throwing a wary glance at Paul before speaking to me. "Bella, you need to not freak out about this and just listen, ok? Because your life is about to change forever." I snorted, _how is that any different, I'm changing all the time now. I turn into a giant, freaking wolf, for goodness sakes!! Why would I freak out about anything now?_ Sam must have noticed what I was thinking because a wry smile spread across his face and I'm sure mine held the same smile until his next words were spoken. "Bell. You've imprinted." I felt my face fall immediately. There is no way that I imprinted. Could wolves even imprint on each other? Then I saw Paul and Sam's faces and realized that they weren't talking about Paul. My eyes widened when I followed Paul's pained yet understanding gaze to the other end of the beach, where Embry was talking to Quil and Jacob. Jacob. _My _Jacob. I had imprinted on Jacob… wow. I guess a wolf can imprint on another wolf. Well, we're learning all kinds of different stuff now, aren't we? Female wolves exist, we can imprint on each other… What's next? Is a vampire going to phase? I shuddered and started shaking at just the word in my mind. "Bella." Sam warned me as Paul placed a warm hand on my arm. I settled down, there was no use in me phasing and risking the secret just because of a thought.

"Sorry." I muttered, sitting down in the cool sand. I needed to relax. Wait! "Can I tell Jacob about us now?"

Sam looked at me sadly. "Bella, he's going to be phasing soon, maybe next week. I don't think that he should learn about it, he isn't going to like the fact that you're a wolf; he's very protective of you." I groaned internally at his words. Sam was right of course. If Jacob found out, he would blame Sam for everything and probably end up getting himself in a fight with the guys. He already pretty much hates them, why give him another reason?

I sighed and nodded my head in acceptance of his words. Sam smiled at me and Paul took my hand in no more than a friendly way, pulling me back down the beach towards Jacob.

As if he could sense me coming, Jake's head snapped around so that he could see me and a huge grin spread across his face. I smiled timidly back at him and he started walking towards me, followed by the other two boys. We met half way and Paul's hand tightened on mine for a moment before releasing it. Jacob, along with Embry and Jared, noticed the silent exchange. Sam's face showed understanding, Paul was letting me go. Jake, Jared, and Embry just looked confused.

"Hey, Jake." I said, reaching my arms out for a hug. I felt the overwhelming need to just touch him.

Jacob pulled me into his arms and swung me around in a circle once, before setting me back down and pressing a light kiss into my forehead. "Bells, how are you feeling?" he asked, holding me at arms' length now, observing my body as if to make sure that nothing was broken or missing. He would definitely notice all the changes that I had gone through. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain the new growth and grace that I had now. Jacob would notice, Jacob noticed everything about me. He knew me so well, without me even telling him any of it; he just noticed it; he was just Jacob. And I love him so much.

"I'm fine, feeling much better." I smiled at him brightly, knowing that Charlie had told Jake that I had been sick lately.

"So, when are you coming over?" Jake asked the question that I'd been anticipating and dreading.

I let my eyes cut to Embry and Jared, who had stiffened next to me and then I turned around to look at Sam and Paul. Sam nodded at me and I smiled and mouthed 'thank you' to him before turning back to Jake. Jake was looking at me strangely and I realized that he had noticed the exchange that would have been unnoticeable to someone who was 100% human. He didn't have long. "Yeah, Jake, I'll be over as soon as I can. How about tomorrow?" I asked. I was really asking both Sam and Jacob.

Before Jake could answer, Jared cut in. "Bella." I turned to look at him. "Well, it's just that we have that… thing tomorrow." Oh. Yeah, I forgot about the meeting with the Cullen's we had set up with them. Well, not so much as set up _with them_ as we had just decided to go over there unannounced and uninvited. I groaned at the thought of seeing Edward.

"Don't worry about it, Jared." Came from Sam. What? That was strange. "We can do that a different time. We should probably wait till _next week_ anyway. I think that it would be better if we had…certain things with us when that happened." The emphasis on 'next week' made me realize that our 'certain things' was Jacob after he phased. I felt my eyes widen.

"No!" everyone seemed surprised at my outburst, but I didn't care enough. I shot a glance at Jacob who looked very confused. Good. "Sam. I don't think that it's a good idea to take _that_ with us, we don't want anything or any_one_ to get hurt. We can go tomorrow."

Sam knew what I was talking about; I didn't want Jacob near any leeches, but Sam obviously had other ideas. "Bella, I need you to think about this rationally without letting your… feelings get in the way." I glared at him. _Feelings? These aren't just feelings that is NOT a good enough word to describe it at all and he knows it too._

"Would you like to send Emily into the enemy's lair?" I asked, too low for humans to hear with a low growl also escaping my lips. Sam was probably gonna kill me for growling at him.

Sam looked like he was about to reply, but Jacob asked, "What are you guys talking about? Enemy?" dang it, his werewolf senses are already kicking in.

Sam took control of the situation… sort of. "You'll find out soon enough Jacob. Now, Bella, you know that's different. Emily is not… like us. And _everyone else_ can take care of ourselves." He practically growled at me. The Alpha timbre in his voice made me whimper along with the rest of the pack. Jake was just standing there, staring at us, completely confused.

I wanted to fight the Alpha command, but I couldn't. I knew that if I tried, I would literally fall to my knees submissively without my consent and Jake would definitely notice that and probably pick a fight with Sam. That's what Jake does, he's protective of me. So, I simply turned back to Jacob and told him that I would be there tomorrow. He smiled and Sam let him hang out with us for the rest of the day.

As we walked down the beach, Jake took my hand, like he normally would, but this time it meant something different to me. I smiled at him happily.

After a few minutes, I notice that Paul was no longer with us. I looked around, but couldn't find him anywhere. I cast a worried glance towards Sam and he simply shook his head at me. How could I have done this to Paul? I love him. I really do, but I can't fight an imprint, and I don't want to fight it. I love Jake and I have loved him since before I knew what love was.

------------------------------**FLASHBACK**------------------------------

Charlie had gone on another of his "fishing trips" with his good friend Billy Black from the Indian Reservation, La Push. Charlie brought me, and Billy brought his children. I didn't hang out with the girls; they were too girly for me, I liked the outside and things that 'boys are supposed to like', that's what my mom said. So I spent my days with Jacob, Billy's son. He is a year younger than me, but we get along pretty well.

One day, Jacob and I were running by the lake while our dad's were at the dock with the long sticks that they called "fishing pole". I think that those are magical, because when they come back to the campfire after going to the dock for the day, they always have dinner with them. Jacob told me that they get dinner with those big sticks that they always bring on these "fishing trips".

Anyways… so, me and Jakey were running by the lake when I slipped in some mud. I was going to fall in the lake! _I don't know how to swim! I don't know how to swim!_ Was the only thing that I could think as the water got closer. It didn't happen in slow motion like some people say these things do. No. I was on the land and before I could thing anything except that I can't swim, I was in the water. I didn't even have time to scream. I was drowning! I was going to die!

It wasn't bad; I just realized it and closed my eyes, waiting for it to come. I didn't even realize that I was holding my breath. I opened my eyes after a second and saw a small hand plunge into the water. It was attached to an arm and it was grabbing me. I didn't have the strength to fight back against the hand. I didn't care what happened. The thought that I was going to die was only there for a millisecond and then it was gone, I forgot it all as I looked around. That was when the hand reached in the water.

I was pulled out of the water and back to reality. Jake was lying on the ground, in the mud, with me on top of him. His arms were wrapped around me protectively and his grip was so tight that it was hard to breathe.

My head was lying on Jake's chest and I lifted it to see him staring back at me. He was looking at me so intently and he seemed so worried about me.

That's when I knew that Jake was more than just Billy's son. He was important to me. I … something… I don't know a word to describe it… after all, I am only a little kid… but there was something that was always there. I just noticed it just now.

We got back to the camp site after Charlie and Billy, who both looked at us strangely when they saw us covered in mud and me soaking wet. But all they did was shake their heads smile and help us get into clean clothes before dinner. They must have figured out that it was one of my clumsy moments that caused this.

--------------------**END OF FLASHBACK**--------------------

I was brought out of my memory by the sound of a beautiful voice calling my name. "Bells? You alright?" Jake was looking at me worriedly.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I answered him, "I was just thinking about that time I fell in the lake…" I trailed off, knowing that Jacob would know what time I was talking about. A slow smile spread across Jake's lips as he remembered the incident. I wonder what that was like for him, to see me fall in the lake, and neither of us could swim. I smiled back at him looking into his eyes getting lost. I didn't realize that the guys were a little ways down and playing in the water, probably giving us privacy. I was so entranced in his eyes I didn't notice he was coming closer till his lips were upon mine.

**Don't get mad because of the grammar in the flashback… after all, it is in the POV of a little girl. **

**Okay, so do we want to see Jake's POV on the lake incident? Let me know. =)**

**Review!! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, so I know that this isn't actually a real chapter or anything and I am sorry for that, but I've been really busy lately and my parents are both having major medical problems, so I've been worried about them and unable to write.**

**So here is a little… something. I hope you like it and that it will keep you entertained till Saturday. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or these characters**

**RANDOM NOT-CHAPTER THINGY… ENJOY!**

_Jacob's POV_

"So, when are you coming over?" I asked Bella nervously. She looked upset by my question and I felt horrible. She doesn't want to hang out anymore, now that she has Sam's gang. Now that she has _Paul_. I can't believe it, they were holding hands and smiling and being all happy together. Why does he get her? How long has he known her? A few weeks? I've known her since we were kids… since I was born!

Bella looked at Embry and Jared who were standing next to her. I noticed that they looked a little tense, but didn't think much of it other than them not wanting her to hang out with me. Then she looked at Sam and Paul as if she were asking permission. What have they _done_ to her? Sam barely nodded and Bella turned back around to look at me. When she noticed my scrutiny, a look of concern and excitement crossed her face before speaking. "Yeah, Jake, I'll be over as soon as I can. How about tomorrow?"

I was so excited! I can't wait to hang out with Bella again! I miss her so much. I was about to respond when Jared just had to cut in. "Bella." He began. "Well, it's just that we have that … thing tomorrow." Thing? What thing? I don't know about the thing! Bella and Paul aren't getting married are they!? Or Bella and Jared? Okay, so I know that I'm being a little bit ridiculous, but honestly, can you blame me?

"Don't worry about it, Jared. We can do that a different time. We should probably wait till _next week_ anyway. I think that it would be better if we had…certain things with us when that happened." Sam said. What things? I am so confused.

Bella's eyes widened when Sam said that. "No!" she shouted and everyone looked at her completely surprised that she would yell like that. My Bells doesn't do that. Well, yes she does, but not for no reason. Why is she so worked up about this? "Sam. I don't think that it's a good idea to take _that_ with us, we don't want anything or any_one_ to get hurt." Why would someone get hurt? If they have Bella doing some dangerous gang stuff… I'm going to _kill_ them. "We can go tomorrow." Not tomorrow. Not at all. Don't go Bella. Not if it's dangerous.

"Bella, I need you to think about this rationally without letting your… feelings get in the way." Sam told her. Bells sent a glare back at Sam when he said that.

"Would you like to send Emily into the enemy's lair?" She asked. I don't think that I was supposed to hear it, but I did.

"What are you guys talking about? Enemy?" I asked. Everyone looked at a loss of words. Even Bella.

Sam spoke up before anyone else could. "You'll find out soon enough Jacob." He told me. What's that mean? If he thinks that I'm joining his little gang… "Now, Bella, you know that's different. Emily is not… like us. And _everyone else_ can take care of ourselves." He practically growled at her and a sound that somewhat resembled a whimper came from Bella and the rest of the group. Bella looked defeated, as if she couldn't do anything against what Sam said, as if it physically hurt. Everyone else looked the same way that Bella did. Everyone except for Sam.

Bella looked at me and told me she would be at my house tomorrow. I smiled at her even though I still wanted to know what was going on. I know Bella will tell me when it's time. Sam said that I could hang out with them for the rest of the day. Not that I wanted to hang out with those guys, but if it meant I could hang out with Bella, then fine.

I held Bella's hand like usual as we walked down the beach and she smiled at me.

Bella started looking around like she was searching for something before looking worriedly at Sam who shook his head at her. _What's going on?_ I really want to ask Bella some questions like… why the hell is she hanging out with these guys!? … But I'll wait till we are alone to ask that.

Bella glanced cautiously up at me and then seemed to completely zone out. she stopped walking and everything. I tried to get her attention and she finally came back after a minute or two, blinking rapidly up at my face. "Bells? You alright?" I asked her, worried about what had happened.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about that time I fell in the lake…" She trailed off and the memory came back to me as well.

------------------------------**FLASHBACK**------------------------------

Dad and his friend, Charlie were going on fishing trip and all of us kids were going too. It was summer, so Bella, Charlie's daughter, and my best friend, was visiting from her mom's house in Arizona.

On the fishing trip, me and Bells spent a lot of time together and one day, me and Bella decided to go running around the lake. We weren't going to go all the way around the lake, that would take too long and our dads didn't want us to go too far away from the camp. Dad and Charlie were fishing at the docks and we stayed where we could at least see them, even if they couldn't see us.

We were running and all of a sudden, Bella fell into the lake! I was so scared! I couldn't lose her! She was everything to me. I didn't like girls yet, but I knew that someday I was going to marry Bella Swan. I don't know how I knew it, I just did. But when Bells fell, I couldn't believe it. I knew that she couldn't swim, neither of us could swim yet and Bella was always so clumsy. I had to save her. I had to do something. I ran to the edge of the lake where she had just fallen in seconds before and looked in, I could barely see her, but she didn't look too far down yet. i reached in and Bells opened her eyes right when I did. She didn't look scared or anything, she looked calm. Then I grabbed her arm and her eyes got big. She was scared now, she was afraid of me. No, she couldn't be afraid of me, no way, she just didn't know what was going on. She didn't fight too hard and I got her out of the water as fast as I could.

I had to pull so hard to get her out that I fell down into the mud puddle that was by the water, but I didn't care. My arms were wrapped around my Bells so that she couldn't get away, so that nothing else could ever hurt her. I had to protect her. I watched as Bella lifted her head from my chest to look at my face. When I saw her looking at me I felt… something. The feeling reminded me of the way dad talked about mom, but I don't know what it meant at all. But I did know that Bella was important to me and I could never let anything hurt her ever again.

I pulled Bells up and we headed back to the camp because it was getting cold and we were both soaking wet and covered in mud. Dad and Charlie were confused but didn't ask any questions. Bella fell all the time, so it made sense.

--------------------**END OF FLASHBACK**--------------------

Bella smiled at me when I came out of the memory. That was the first time I knew that I loved her, even if I didn't have a name for it. I stared into her eyes and had the sudden urge to lean forward, so I did. And I kisses her beautiful lips softly. That's when I heard a gasp and someone moving quickly towards us. Great, one of her new friends was going to be all heroic and protective of my Bells.

**So, sorry it's short again.**

**Not expecting many reviews, even though they would be awesome.**

**Expecting to post chapter seven on Saturday. =)**

**Love ya!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry that this is being posted so incredibly late, I'm going to be back on schedule after this. I haven't had internet and now I'm on a trip and using the internet at the hotel I'm staying at tonight. Hope you aren't too mad. The internet at my house should be fixed soon. I hope. And since it's summer, I will be updating much more often! =)**

**Thanks to all the reviewers and apologies to my beta for not being able to get this to you.**

**Special thanks to dreamertotheend for helping me with an idea through your review. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters **

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_Paul's POV_

Bella and Jacob were walking down the beach and the rest of us were following to keep an eye on things. I was happy for her, I really was, it's an amazing thing to find the person that you are meant to spend your entire life with… so I've been told… and she looked happy, so of course I was happy about the imprint. I just couldn't be with her right now, couldn't be anywhere around her, it was just too painful. I left the group, silently hoping for some time alone. I hope Sam lets Bella end training early, I'm not sure if I can spend another week with her up there. Not when we had gotten so close while we were there… not when she belongs to someone else now… and someone else belongs to her. And Jake's going to be a part of the pack soon, he wasn't going to like it if I keep thinking about Bella this way. He'd probably attack me now, even in his human frailty, just because I had been with her in any romantic way. I have no doubt that the only reason that he didn't earlier was because Bella was there, and he didn't want her to see that. He's already so protective of Bella that I'm kind of scared about how he will be when his wolf imprints on her. Will he be even more protective? Should I be worried? Probably… he was the rightful Alpha after all, and that meant that he could probably kick my butt in a fight once he phases for the first time. Bella won't like it one bit if he tries to be too protective of her… I know my girl… well, she isn't _my girl_ any more. Part of me wonders if she ever was my girl, or if she always knew she loved Jacob underneath it all.

I walked down the beach thinking about all of this, heading for my favorite spot to just sit and think. As I approached, I became aware that my spot was not deserted like it usually is. There was a young girl sitting on the beach, facing the water with the waves crashing in small pools around her outstretched feet. I was going to turn around, but felt as though I had to move forward. Shit. I had heard stories of what it was like many times, seen it in Sam's memories. I knew what was going to happen when I looked into the girls face, into her eyes.

I examined the girl as I approached. She had midnight black hair that hung down from her shoulders to the middle of her back. She was sitting so that she was resting on her elbows, leaning backwards, the tips of her slightly wavy hair brushing the sand as she looked out at the ocean.

I approached slowly, so not to startle her, and tried to make as much noise as a werewolf can when walking on sand.

When I got to her, I did the thing that came most naturally to me in that moment. I simply sat down next to her. I sat down, leaning back, almost mimicking her own posture. I didn't say anything to her, neither of us spoke. She knew that I was there, I had seen her glance at me momentarily out of the corner of her eye when I sat down. I knew that there was a small smile on my lips. Bella got her Jacob, she got her fairytale, maybe I could have mine too.

I still haven't looked into the girls' face, I don't know how long I've been sitting here with her, but it must have been a while, because it was getting darker. The sun was setting and when it touched the horizon, a light spread across the ocean in front of it. The light wasn't gold or orange or pink. It was just… light. It was all of the colors put together to create an amazing, indescribable color in the middle of the ocean. The sky, the part that wasn't covered by clouds, was no longer the bright blue that it had been earlier today; it was now a deep blue, almost black. The stars could be seen out here. That's one of the things that I loved so much about living here, I could always see the stars at night, after the clouds cleared away and the sky lit up with all the little bright points fixed in the sky. "Beautiful." I breathed, unaware that I had actually spoken until it was too late for me to stop myself.

For some reason, I felt as though I had ruined everything by speaking, even that one word. As though I had no right to speak during such a time as this magnificence, but it was too late now. The girl didn't seem upset at my speaking; she just kept looking out as the sun slowly sank down beyond the horizon, out of view from our eyes. A small smile covered her lips as she looked out at the darkening sky, where it met the dark blue of the water.

When the sun finally set, she turned to me and for the first time, I looked at her face. She was beautiful! Then again… I'm biased. She had the most beautiful olive-tan skin and plump, rosy lips. And her eyes… oh, her eyes… when I looked into those bright, dancing green eyes, everything shifted. Bella was no longer on my mind, everything that had been bothering me – since Bella's imprint – disappeared. The only thing on my mind was this girl in front of me. I stared into those eyes and got so much information about her life. I saw the pain and the agony, I saw the happy times, but most of all I saw the hope and longing for a new life… another try… another chance. I could give that to her.

I know who this is now. I recognized her from before. And from his memories. Leah. I could give Leah another chance at love.

He never saw her right. Sam loved her, but his memories of her didn't equal her true beauty. She was amazing. And not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. Her entire being called out to me.

I hadn't seen her since I first phased… obviously, or I would have imprinted on her already… but she seemed to recognize me, just as I recognized her. she was always beautiful, but now… she was magnificent.

"Paul?" she whispered. Her voice sounded broken and I just noticed that silent tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Without answering her with words, I moved my hand to her face and brushed away her tears with my thumb, as if I was brushing away the sadness deep within her. The tears continued to stream down, so I pulled her from her spot in the sand and placed her gently in my lap. She buried her head into my neck without hesitation and gripped my left arm with her hands. My arms wrapped themselves around her frame. I just held her for the longest time. Her tears stopped somewhere along the way and her grip on my arm loosened a little bit. But she still held onto it and she didn't move her head from where it rested.

I shushed her, telling her that it would all be okay and not to worry, that I'm here for her. My fingers ran through her hair gently as her sniffling quieted. It didn't take long after that and I could hear the steady beating of her heart and the deep, steady breaths that she took in, still holding onto me. I just sat there, holding her, still running my hands through her hair until all traces of light were gone and I knew that her parents would be expecting her home.

I stood, cradling her sleeping form in my arms and began walking slowly towards the Clearwater's house.

It didn't take long to get there, because of how small the Rez was, but I cherished every moment that she was in my arms. Every moment that we could be together was precious.

I reached the door and shifted Leah, so that I was holding her in one arm and knocked on the door with the other hand. I shifted her back into both arms again before Seth answered the door.

"Hey, Seth." I greeted him. "Your sister kinda' fell asleep at the beach. So, I thought it would be a good idea to bring her home." Seth didn't look too happy that I was carrying his sister. Probably because I was a part of 'Sam's Gang'. He probably hated me because I spend my time with the man that broke his sister's heart. Seth tries to play it off like he doesn't care all that much about his sister, but we all know that he would really do just about anything for her.

He looked at Leah's sleeping form in my arms and a small smile spread across his face. This is probably the first time in a long time that he had seen his sister peaceful. "Okay." He said, the smile still in place. "Go ahead and bring her in."

I followed Seth into the house. Mr. and Mrs. Clearwater were in the living room watching a movie and seemed to be waiting for Seth. I guess they were having some kind of family movie night thing… not that I would know what that's like…

I smiled at them as I followed Seth upstairs. He led me into a room and I looked around, trying to gather as much information about her as I could. Her walls were painted all shades of blue and her bed was hand-carved wood with a light-blue quilt. She had pictures all over her walls of her and Seth or Jacob's sisters. There were also a few posters hanging up of movies like Lord of the Rings and there was a poster of Link from Twilight Princess framed in a black-painted wooden poster frame with intricate designs covering the frame. I chuckled lightly at that and made a mental note to ask her about it next time I was her awake, which would hopefully be soon. Seth cast me a strange look when I chuckled. I couldn't help but notice that the majority of the pictures on the walls and covering her desks were either of Seth and Leah together or of Seth by himself. They really had a close bond. It made me happy that she had someone like that to be there for her when I couldn't be.

But that wouldn't last for too long with Seth phasing soon. She would probably be upset about that, I'm sure it would be pretty hard on her.

I moved to the queen sized bed and laid her gently in the middle of it, gently pulling the quilt over her body to compensate for the heat of my body. After that, I went to follow Seth out of the room, but Leah had different plans. The moment my body lost contact with hers, a pair of small arms wrapped themselves around my waist tightly. Leah was still asleep, but she obviously didn't want me to leave. "Paul." She sighed quietly in her sleep. I look toward Seth helplessly, hoping he would help me out, but he simply shrugged, looking amused and left me alone with my imprint. No, my Leah. _My imprint_ just seemed to de-humanize her.

I cautiously tried to pull her arms off of me without hurting her, but she had a death-grip on me. So, I gently lowered myself onto the bed next to her and ran my fingers through her hair, thinking about how completely _right _this felt. She sighed quietly and her grip on me loosened just enough for me to get out.

I moved to her desk and began opening drawers. In one drawer, I found a stationary and pulled out one piece of stationary paper. In another drawer, I found a royal-blue pen.

After placing the note on the pillow next to her head, I leant down and lightly brushed my lips across her forehead. Then I made my way back downstairs to head to Sam's.

"Paul." Harry called to me when I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah?" I replied, reaching the living room where he was getting up off the couch.

"Come talk with me." Harry motioned for me to follow him outside.

It was peaceful outside. Since the … transformation … I've found that the outdoors feel like home to me. Probably just because I'm half wolf now… but, hey, I can't argue too much. Sure, at first I hated myself, hated what I was, hated anyone or anything that had to do with this. I considered it a curse. But now, now I see that it's a blessing, not a curse. I am what I am for a reason, and that is so that I can protect my people and Leah. Especially Leah. And that thought brought me back to where I was. Outside, with Leah's dad, awaiting whatever it was that he had to talk to me about.

"Paul, did you just imprint on my daughter?" Harry got straight to the point, as he usually does with pack members.

I looked directly at Harry and answered honestly, "Yes, sir, I have imprinted on Leah. And I will do everything in my power to protect her and care for her forever."

Harry nodded and started walking down the dirt road that lead from his house toward the beach, where I had been with Leah not too long ago. I followed. "I'm sure you will. And I'm happy, she needs someone like that, someone that she can trust. But, Paul, you've got your work cut out for you. It's going to be a long, rocky, winding road. She's not ready yet, she's not ready to trust anyone or to love again. Sam broke her heart, and she never understood why. When she finds out, it won't be easy for her, but she might understand just a little bit better. Still, you have a lot of work to do on her and I only hope that she lets you."

When Harry finished I told him that I was willing to do anything to make her happy again, and that I was ready to take any step that she needed me to. Then I headed home for the night.

_Leah's POV_

I rolled over absently on my bed, not knowing how I had gotten there. I felt uncomfortable and pulled the covers off of me to find that the reason was because the clothes I was wearing really weren't all that comfortable. I was still wearing the same thing that I had worn yesterday. The same tight-fitting dark blue jeans that pooled out at the bottom a little bit, the same long-sleeved white V-neck shirt that fit snugly against my body. Then as I continued to look around I noticed something else. Something that hadn't been there yesterday. A folded piece of paper on one of my pillows. Closer inspection showed me that it was a piece of my stationary. My name was written across the front of the paper in messy-but-readable handwriting.

_Leah,_

_I know that we never really talked much or anything, but I had a good time tonight, even if we didn't do anything, or say anything. It may be weird for you because you don't know me and I know that you are probably very upset with the fact that you cried last night, but don't be. Sometimes we all need to just let out our feelings one way or another, and crying is one of the healthier ways to do that._

_Moving on… I was hoping that you might come with me this Friday to a bonfire that the gang is having with some … choice people from the Rez. You might not want to because Sam will be there, and I completely understand that, but think about coming, please. It will be fun and … this may sound boring, but you will learn some interesting things about our people… and about me. I hope you will come with me. let me know._

_-Paul_

_P.S. What's with the Link poster? _

I put the note down, thinking about what Paul had said, what he had asked. Then I remembered what had happened last night. Everything from the time Paul showed up on the beach to falling asleep in his arms. And then… oh, God, no! Please, no! That small amount of time that I had woken up and Paul was putting me in the bed. The way I clung to him, not wanting him to leave. And then my content when I felt his weight shift onto the bed next to me, before I fell into a comfortable, amazing sleep. How long was he here? Did I do anything stupid? Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Ugh! I hope not, that would be so embarrassing.

I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed, worried about what would face me today with my parents. And Seth. He is the reason that little brothers are considered annoying across America… and the whole world for that matter. He would never let it go that some guy carried me home last night. And then he'd tease me even more because it was Paul. Paul. Ugh! Couldn't it have been _anyone else_ but someone in Sam's Gang!

I took a quick shower, washing any remaining sand out of my long hair. I should probably get it trimmed soon, but I don't want to have to cut it, I like my hair long. I'd probably be devastated if I ever had to get it cut short. Too many girls are cutting their hair short now days, and it's just not right. Girls have long hair for a reason. I have yet to find that reason, but I'm sure there is one, and until someone proves otherwise, I like my hair long.

After changing into some comfortable clothes with a swimsuit underneath and grabbing a jacket, I headed downstairs to where Seth was eating a huge bowl of cereal, he had been eating a lot more lately. Dad was sitting at the table with the daily paper spread out in front of him, reading the sports section. Mom was cooking some bacon and eggs. Everyone's ideal family breakfast scene, right? Wrong. This was normal at my house, but oh so annoying, because…

"Hey, Leah!" Seth called when he noticed me. "So, Paul, huh? I gotta' be honest, I didn't see that one coming. Interesting choice, care to share your reasons with the family?"

I glared at my brother. _This_ is exactly why it is annoying. Welcome to Seth's life. On his agenda for today (and every other day): _do everything in my power to annoy Leah so much that she moves out and never comes back, therefore giving me the house to myself, where I will begin my plans for world domination. *insert evil mad-scientist laugh*_

Yep, that's Seth's plan. I'm guessing he won't get too far with the world domination part.

Mom and dad simply ignored our bickering, just like they always do. I suppose they got used to it when Seth was born.

After eating a quick breakfast, I left the house and headed down to the beach to think.

I was on my way to 'my spot'(which Paul had found… or maybe it was his spot and I had found it and claimed it as my spot and then he had found me at his spot… so… it was… our spot? Oh I don't know, this is confusing.) Anyway, so I was heading there when I ran into someone. And I mean literally ran into them. It also ended with me being the one to fall backwards and almost into the sand. I say 'almost' because the person caught me and pulled me back up into a standing position.

"Thanks." I said, absentmindedly. Then I looked up and saw that the person was none other than… you guessed it… Paul! Woo-hoo. Just the person I came here to… think about. Not to run into and then be saved from an embarrassing fall by. Oh well, we can't all have everything, I suppose.

Paul was shirtless and in a pair of shorts, whereas I was wearing clothes to keep me warm and was still cold. He didn't seem to be cold at all. "No problem." He replied, throwing me a beautiful grin. After a minute of him not looking away, I started to feel a little self-conscious. Here I was, probably looking horrible, standing in front of the guy that I had been thinking about since five minutes after I woke up, and all he does is stare at me like I'm the most interesting thing in the world. Okay, I cave. I'll go to the thing on Friday. There is no way that I am passing up an opportunity to be around Paul. Even if Sam is gonna be there. _Traitor_!

"And, um. Thanks for, you know, last night." I said nervously. He nodded, and then the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I didn't do anything completely embarrassing did I?"

Paul's smile grew and my face fell. I did. "No, don't worry." He answered. I felt my face… un-fall and knew that a smile had spread across my lips. Yay! He doesn't think I'm an idiot. I hope.  
"Hey," Paul continued, "you wanna hang out or something?"

"Uh. Sure." I answered, happy that he had asked, so I didn't have to.

_Sam's POV_

I watched from the edge of the woods as Paul and Leah sat down at the waters' edge and talked. They seemed to be enjoying each others' company, which made me a little bit jealous. Yes, I know that I am the one who broke it off with Leah, and that I have no right to be so… possessive, but I still love her. Of course, I also love Emily, and I will always love Emily much more than Leah, but that doesn't mean that I don't get upset when all of a sudden one of my pack members comes to me and says "Oh, Sam, by the way, I imprinted on the girl you love today. Hope you don't mind." Alright, so that's not exactly how it went last night, but that's pretty much the message I heard.

-**FLASHBACK**-

I had just gotten off of a short patrol and Emily was in bed waiting for me when I got home. I just love that woman so much. I wish she didn't have to deal with me being a wolf and all, I know it has to be hard on her. Then again, if I wasn't a wolf, I never would have been with her, I'd be with Leah.

There was a knock at the door and so I went to answer it. "Paul, what are you doing here so late? Where'd you run off to today? Bella was looking for you. Speaking of Bella, she passed, her training is all done, so you guys don't have to stay out there anymore. I think she's going to be moving in with someone down here pretty soon, but for now she's still at her house in Forks, with Charlie." I sort of felt bad for Paul. I guess he was like Leah now. The woman that he thought he might love left him for another man, all because of an imprint. Maybe he and Leah would get along once Seth joined the pack. I'm sure she's going to have a hard time accepting it and all, and someone to relate to on something would probably be nice for her. Someone who was not me or Emily.

"Um, yeah, I was just taking a walk. Ya know, thinking about… what happened." He answered one of my questions.

I nodded. Yeah, he probably wasn't taking it so well. I just hope he doesn't end up like Leah did when I left her. But Paul wouldn't, he had known the risk, he had accepted the possibility and he could deal with the consequences. "So, why are you here?" I asked again.

"Well…" Paul shifted uncomfortably. That was weird, this is Paul, he doesn't get nervous and shift uncomfortably. "Promise you won't get mad at me and try to kill me or anything?"

Why would I try to kill him. "Yeah… I'm not gonna kill you."

"Okay then." Paul took a deep breath and his heart rate picked up. "I imprinted."

"That's great! Why would I get mad about that?" I asked, happy that my pack member wouldn't have to deal with the love of his life loving someone else.

"Well. Because I imprinted on Leah." He cringed at the end, as if expecting me to hit him, but he had a smile on his face at saying her name. So, I knew it was true. Leah? Why Leah? I still love her so much. It hurts every time that I see her in pain from what I did to her. And now she had someone else. Someone that wasn't me. And worse than that, that someone was a member of my pack. A friend, a brother. _How could fate do this to me? Why couldn't _I_ be with Leah? Oh, yeah, because of Emily. _Her name in my mind calmed me down, and I didn't show my jealousy or disappointment on my face. Instead I smiled at him and pretended like this didn't affect me negatively at all.

"That's great too! Now she has someone there for her, after the pain I caused. You can take care of her, Paul. You can bring her back to life. She just hasn't been the same Leah since the… you know." And my words were true. This was a good thing, Leah did need someone there for her. But I couldn't make myself believe them, even though I knew they were true, I couldn't accept them. Because if this whole supernatural world didn't exist, me and Leah would be together, we were meant to be together. (aside from the fact that my soul mate was someone else.) I didn't want to _be_ with Leah now. I had Emily. But I was selfish enough that I didn't really want her to be with anyone else either.

"Alright then. Thanks, Sam. I'll see you tomorrow on patrols." Paul said as he headed out the door, on his way home for the night. That's right, Paul and I had patrols together tomorrow. I'll have to switch with Jared and do morning patrol with Embry tomorrow. I don't think I can handle being inside Paul's mind just yet, and I know that he doesn't want to be in mine. Or, at least, he wouldn't want to be in mine if he knew how I really felt.

I quickly called Jared up and asked if we could switch patrols. I didn't tell him why, he would soon find out about Paul's imprint. He agreed, reluctantly, but I was Alpha, so he agreed. Then I went to bed with my imprint, my Emily.

-**END OF FLASHBACK**-

I looked back out at the beach, where Paul and Leah had been, and was that they had decided to go for a swim. They were laughing and throwing water at one another, just like little kids do when they play in pools. They seemed to be having a really good time. So I decided to leave before it started to bother me too much.

_Dude. Chill out. It's not like it's his fault, and it wasn't your fault that you imprinted on Emily. So stop blaming yourself and stop being mad at Paul._ Embry said.

I knew he was right, I just didn't want to listen. Because that was my Leah out there.

_She's not yours anymore. I know it's hard, man, but you're just gonna have to accept it._ Embry said again. I ignored him and started running, enjoying the wind in my fur and the sounds of the forest around me, blocking out Embry's mind.

Bella stayed quiet the whole time, not letting either of us into her thoughts as she patrolled as far away from the beach as she could get.

**Okay, so sorry. My internet was down, still is down. I'm on a trip, so I'm using the internet at the hotel to post this. Yay! Now, on to IMPORTANT QUESTIONS!**

**Do you guys think that Leah should phase in this story… like, ever?**

**Should Jake phase before or after the bonfire on Friday?**

**Seth… I love Seth… when should he phase? I'm thinking around the same time as Jake does. **

**OH! Also, if you haven't noticed, they are phasing really quickly, like, within the first day that they show the bad symptoms. And so I was going to have Seth phase on this day, but if you guys think he should wait, then he can just have the flu or something normal.**

**Thanks guys! Updates should be coming much more often than they have been. Love you all! =)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ahhh! You guys are killing me with the mixed ideas on the phasing stuff. So, I tallied it all up, and it came really close. Within one vote for Leah. Anyway, some of the answers will be revealed in this chapter and some in the next. Hope you like! And thanks for ALL the reviews!**

**My beta is taking the week off, so if there is any problems with anything, blame me, not her. she is a wonderful beta and always catches most of my mistakes. And improves the story, so she will be missed, but she will be back soon. =)**

**So, I'm on this trip, and I have the tendency to write while I'm in a car. I know that a lot of people get car sick that way, but not me. So, that means that you guys should be getting updates quite a lot for the next two weeks on both of my stories. =) I've already got a couple chapters written, I just have to run them by my wonderful beta. Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. **

**CHAPTER NINE**

_Bella's POV_

It's been two days since I imprinted on Jacob. And since… Paul… imprinted… on Leah.

I love Leah and all, she's a great girl, but I still like Paul. Even though I love Jacob. I just don't want to see him get hurt or something. I mean, I'm worried about Jacob not accepting that I'm a werewolf. What if Leah doesn't accept Paul as one? I've watched them and she seems to like him too, but what if she can't like _all_ of him? What if she can only like the human part of him and not the wolf? I just don't want him to feel that pain. But if she does accept him, then everything's great, right? Wrong. I don't like seeing him with her. I love both of them like brother and sister. Okay. I like Paul a little more. And you can call me selfish, but I don't like that he gives her all of his attention. I think I'd be fine with the whole thing if we could still be friends, but he doesn't even talk to me anymore. We aren't patrolling together. I guess that I may be spending most of my time with Jake, but I still _want_ to be friends with him. He doesn't even seem to _want_ to look at me, or talk to me. I know that I must have hurt him by imprinting on Jake, but then he went off and did the same thing with Leah. Then again… I always loved Jake, even before the imprint. And part of me keeps wondering if I would have left Paul for Jacob in the end even without the imprint telling me to.

I sighed heavily as I thought about all of this, causing Jacob to look up at me from under the hood of his car. "You alright, Bells? Do you want to do something else? I can work on this later." He was so sweet.

"No, Jake. This is fine. I was just thinking about some stuff." I told him honestly. The bonfire is two days away, and that's when I would take Jake off and tell them that I am a werewolf. Then, after Jake phases and we all go talk to the Cullen's, I'm going to move down here… with… guess who? The Clearwater's.

Leah was so happy about it, she was exited to get a new friend and I'm sure that she won't stop talking about Paul the whole time I'm there. I just don't know if I can handle hearing about it. It's just too soon. Maybe I'll ask Jake if I can stay over at his house for a while, until she gets used to her relationship with Paul.

Seth, Leah's younger brother, hasn't met me yet. He's supposed to be phasing very soon. Like, today or tomorrow, and I was assigned to take care of him when he did. Should be fun. And then Jacob would phase. Quil was also starting to show signs of phasing, and I was beginning to wonder what could cause so much of it going around. We hadn't picked up any new scents in the area, but we also hadn't checked Forks. Treaty line and all…

Other than that, my life in LaPush was pretty normal. I turned into a giant wolf. For some reason I was the second largest wolf, we hadn't figured that out yet, since I was female and only part Quileute.

My life in Forks was a different story. There had been some problems with the paperwork, so I was still attending Forks High. For now. It was horrible, having to sit in class with the Cullen's. I couldn't stand it. And Edward kept telling me that I needed to quit hanging out with the _dogs_ in LaPush because I was starting to smell like them. I stayed away from Edward as much as I could, which confused his family and the entire rest of the school. Jess and Lauren were all over me trying to get information so that they could gossip about it. Angela was there for me, she didn't push me or ask about it. She just told me that I could always talk to her if I wanted to. I'm starting to see how much of a better person Angela is than most of the people in the school. I wish I could tell her my secret sometimes, but that's out of the question, because it's not just _my_ secret to tell. She'd either have to turn into a wolf herself, or be imprinted on. Hey. That's an idea!

I kept my window closed at night and locked, to keep Edward out. And it seemed to be working, because the vampire scent was fading from my room more with each passing day.

"Hey, Bells. Could you hand me that?" Jake pointed to something near me.

I picked it up, "This?" I asked, holding out the… whatever it was.

"Yeah. Thanks." Jake took it and then started doing something to the car. I like cars, but I don't know anything about fixing them.

After Jake had finished with that, he came out from under the car and stood up. He was definitely having a growth spurt, almost as tall as me now. He could phase any day now and the guys were getting excited. I was getting worried. He shouldn't have to face this. I know that once he phases, I won't mind it, but for now, I just want him to be human. If there was any hope of that happening, I would make it happen. But the change has already started and there wasn't much I could do about it.

"Come on, Bells." Jake said, reaching out for my hand with his grease covered one.

I pretended to be appalled and flinched back from his hand. Then I put on a fake girly voice "Ewww… don't touch me with those gross hands. Ewww…." It took just about all I had not to start laughing at how much I failed at my girly voice.

Jake looked disappointed at my response to his attempt to touch me. I think he much have caught on quickly though because he replied with "Fine then." And started to stalk off to the house. I paused for a moment and then, when I was about to follow him, he suddenly turned around at ran up to me, capturing me in his arms and spinning me around. I giggled, of course. He was the only person who could really make me giggle anymore.

He set me down and started to reach for my hand again, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought my lips down on his. His arms instantly wrapped around my waist in return and his lips reacted to mine, kissing me back. Small, loving kisses turned into long passionate kisses quickly as Jake's tongue snaked out of his lips and ran tentatively along my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I granted it to him, and our tongues melded together, dancing lovingly with each other. My eyes closed of their own accord and I let myself just _feel_.

We returned to the small, sweet kisses and I felt his fingers begin to grace their way across my back in intricate designs. Everywhere he touched rose in goose bumps once his fingers left that area.

My own fingers were playing in his long, silk black hair. I hope he doesn't cut it all off once he phased like the other guys did, I love his hair so much. But I know that he probably will cut it off, it's much more convenient to have short hair. I had refused to get my hair cut short, but I had gotten Emily to cut my bangs thicker so that, in wolf form, it wouldn't hang in my eyes and the hair on my head wasn't as thick as the rest of me. I still looked fine, just like a wolf, but I got to keep my hair. And let me tell you, Embry was jealous. For a guy, he was really attached to his hair.

Again, my thoughts were interrupted by Jake as his hand slipped under the hem of my shirt, skimming along the expanse of my muscled stomach. One of my hands left his hair to rest on his chest, above his steady beating heart; that heart that I love so much.

Just as Jake's hand started moving further up my body and our kisses became a little bit more urgent, Embry showed up. "Hey, Bella! Me and the guys ran across… Oh. Sorry. Um… I'll just… Yeah…"

I sighed heavily against Jake's lips and gave him one last, tender kiss before turning to face Embry. "Yes?" I asked him, as Jake wrapped his arms around my waist pressing my back into his chest.

"Well, we found…" Embry glanced at Jake, too quickly for him to notice, "something." I got the message. They had found something on patrol, something that Jake couldn't know about until he phased. I sighed again, then turned to face Jake.

"Hun. I've got to go with Embry for now, but I'll be back later." I untangled myself from his arms and began to walk away, but he reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me back to him and planted a warm kiss on my lips. My whole body hummed at how good it felt to be kissed by him.

Embry coughed loudly and I pulled away from Jake. "Love you, I'll see you later."

"Alright, babe. I love you too." He told me as I followed Embry out of the garage.

"This better be important, Embry." I growled as we walked into the woods to phase.

"Oh, it is." He replied as he started stripping down right in front of me. I rolled my eyes and did the same. We didn't care about the whole personal boundaries thing in the pack. We had all seen each other naked many times, so it didn't really matter at all.

_Alright, now what is it?_ I asked, once we were both phased. I could sense the others with us, but no one was telling me anything.

Embry replied, _Paul and I were patrolling the boarder when we noticed that the Cullen's scent is a lot stronger than usual, and when we got near the road, we saw that they were there, not all of them, but the leader and his mate, your ex, the big one, and the small pixie-like one._

Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmet, and Alice. Of course they would be the ones to come. Rose didn't like me and Jasper couldn't risk being around me, so they would have stayed home.

I looked at Sam,

_Bella,_ he told me,_ we are going to have to confront them, but you may want to stay in wolf form while we are there. Do what you can to block your phasing from our thoughts while we are there._ Oh yeah, that's one of the cool things that I get to do now that I have phased. You know how Edward couldn't hear my thoughts before? Well, now I can pick and choose what thoughts get sent out from both my mind and from the rest of the pack. I haven't tried it on humans, but it's very useful in situations like this or when I want to run and have some 'Bella time' as the guys call it.

I nodded and started working on it already as we headed to the boarder. When we got there, I had a sort of filter for everyone's mind. Anything that involved me was blocked out and my mind was blocked out altogether unless I had something specific to think at Edward, but the pack could still hear me.

Sam phased back, my filter still working on his brain and he got dressed. As the rest of us took our positions by him, me at his right, Paul at his left, Jared behind me and Embry behind Paul.

"What do you need to talk about?" Sam asked, his tone cold.

"We are here because of Bella." Edward replied venomously.

The whole pack growled at the possessive way he said my name and I let a thought through my wall. _Bella doesn't belong to you, bloodsucker._

Edward's head snapped to face me. "I see you have a new pack member, why did you not inform us of this?"

Another growl escaped my throat and Sam shot me a warning glance, so I let another thought through my wall. _Because we don't answer to you. We don't have to tell you anything. This is _our_ land and you don't need to know anything about what happens here._

Edward glared at me, but Sam answered after me, because he didn't know I had said anything. "We are not obligated to inform you of such occurrences."

Edward was about to answer back, but Carlisle cut him off and took over. "Of course, we understand completely, Sam. We only wish to know what you have done to Bella. She is a part of our family, yet she smells of you and keeps her distance from us now. And I have not seen her at the hospital in quite some time, which is highly unusual for her." I mentally rolled my eyes, okay, so yes, I used to be really clumsy, but did they have to rub it in?

"I assure you that she is well and in good hands, no harm has come to her." Sam replied. I allowed him to send images of me hanging out with Jake or of me and Emily to Edward. Edward cringed when he saw how close I had gotten to Jacob while I was here, but seemed a little more at ease, knowing that they hadn't brainwashed me or anything.

"Very well. Come on Edward. No one broke the treaty, we can't do anything. Just let it be." Carlisle said. _Go Carlisle!_ I thought. Oops. I let that through.

Edward turned and snarled at me venomously. So, I stood to my full height and glared directly into his eyes, a low growl begging to escape my throat. _Don't even try it leech. Just leave and you can talk to Bella next time you see her at school._

After one more hiss from Edward, the group left. And Sam wasn't too happy with my behavior. "What was that? What on earth did you _say_ to him." He asked me.

I moved into the woods and phased back, dressing quickly. "Nothing." I said, coming back out. "It's my fight, I just let him know that he didn't need to mess with us."

Sam rolled his eyes but dropped the subject. I smiled at him and then turned to leave. "Now, if you don't mind, I was in the middle of something before being interrupted." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Embry shaking with quiet laughter and new that he was playing the memory for the rest of the pack. I also noticed how quickly Paul ran into the woods and phased back, coming back as human. I shot him a sad smile before heading back into the woods and towards Jake's house.

**It's short, but it's an update. Will be updating again soon. (if I have internet)**

**Next chapter, is leading up to the bonfire, the bonfire, and a little bit after the bonfire. Jake and Seth phase. Not telling you if Leah does or not yet. =)**

**Question: Do you guys think that my guy POV's are okay? Like, when I write from Jake or Paul's POV? Because I have read some other people's and I just don't like them, but I hope you don't feel that way about mine. Let me know so that I don't disappoint! =)**

**One more Question: What would you like to see happen in this fic (aside from the obvious things)? I like to involve my readers, so please don't hesitate to give me your ideas (I'll give you credit where credit is deserved) and remember that it's always okay to tell me that I'm a horrible writer and I should stop (not that I will stop, but just try to improve). **

**Thanks! =)**

**Love you all!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright guys. I'm so sorry, I haven't had internet for the past week… but I'm making it up to you, because this is such a long chapter. Don't hate me. Hope you like the chapter and I love all of you for your reviews. And I'm going to thank everyone who 'voted' on who should phase and when that happens. =)**

**I broke this down into 3 parts. It was originally all together, but there was just sooo much going on… so I broke it down.**

**I love you guys so much. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

**CHAPTER TEN**

_**PART ONE**_

_Jacob's POV_

The bonfire that Bella had invited me to was tomorrow, and I couldn't wait. Every time I was around her, I felt so happy. I've been having really bad anger issues lately, but when Bella shows up, I cool off immediately. All her friends are watching me as if they are waiting for something to happen. Embry has been around more often lately as well, so that makes me and Quil happy, we really missed him.

Today Bella and I were at a more secluded part of the beach, not that the beach ever had many people at it at all…

Bella has changed a lot, even her skin color is gradually darkening, she's looking more Quileute; it's the strangest thing that I've ever seen. People don't just randomly change skin color. She told me about how her dad said that there was some Quileute in her blood, so that must be the reason, but still… oh, I don't know, maybe there is a completely logical explanation, I just don't know what that could be…

Of course, I was undergoing my own changes as well. I was growing up, getting muscle, getting taller. I'm taller than Bella again… barely. I just feel a little bit more worthy of her now that I look older. Girls at school keep hitting on me, but I don't really care, I love Bella. We aren't officially… dating… but we might as well be. We spend a lot of our time together and we can get into some pretty heavy make out sessions. But I can't call her my girlfriend, so I sometimes have trouble getting the girls at school to leave me alone. I wonder what it's like for Bella. It seems like she just gets more beautiful every day.

The sound of someone whistling caught my attention and I came out of my thoughts to look around. Sam and his group were not too far away and seemed to be heading for us. Sam was talking to Jared about something and Jared was smirking, staring right at Bells. Bella turned to me, pecked me on the lips quickly and then looked back at the group who were just meeting up with us.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Bella asked. Embry and Paul looked really uncomfortable and Sam looked like he was trying to decide something. Jared was still looking at Bella, still smirking. Sam finally looked over to Jared and nodded slightly.

Jared smiled wider and moved closer to us. "Bella, can I talk to you, please?" he asked her. Bella nodded, gave my hand a quick squeeze and then moved a little further away with Jared. He was standing closer to her than I was comfortable with and I kept a close eye on them while Sam started talking about something. I don't know what he was saying because I was too focused on Jared and Bella.

Then the worst thing in the world happened. Jared grabbed Bella's face and she looked up at him confused before he dropped his lips down on hers. I could see her eyes widen in shock and then narrow in anger before I felt like my body just exploded in rage. I completely forgot about the other three guys and started moving to where Jared and Bella were. Jared was on the ground getting the crap punched out of him by a very angry Bella. I could hear her yelling at him and cursing and… growling? Yes, Bella was growling, how odd.

I was just about to jump in and rip Jared's head off when I felt myself being restrained. I tried to yell for them to let me go, but all I heard was a sort of growling, snarling noise.

Bella looked over at me and comprehension crossed her features. That's when I looked at her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes. The snarling, growling noise stopped and I just stared at Bella. She stared back at me. I didn't hear anything else, I didn't feel anything else. All that I was aware of was Bella staring at me with a look of complete love. I knew that I must look pretty much the same as she did. All I could feel was love for her, nothing else mattered.

Then Bella looked away and voices filled my head again. I noticed that Bella had some tears in her eyes before I registered what was being said. It was Sam talking.

"Bella, you have to phase. You need to be the one to help him through this, I don't know if any of the rest of us can do it."

Bella nodded her head and ran into the woods. What? Where was she going? I tried to follow her, but noticed that I was still being restrained by someone. Looking around, I knew that I must be dreaming or something. There were two wolves, one on either side of me, and they were holding me back. That's when I noticed that I, myself, was also a wolf. Okay, this is a weird dream. _You can wake up now, Jake_. I told myself.

Then, the sweetest voice in the world entered my head. _You aren't asleep, Jake._ Bella said. The voice was in my head, but I noticed a wolf leave the woods where Bella had gone moments ago. This wolf had completely pure white fur. _Come, take a walk with me._ Bella said. Then the white wolf moved toward the forest. Okay, so, is Bella the white wolf?

_Yes, Jake, I'm the white wolf._ Bella's voice said. I followed Bella the white wolf into the forest. She picked up the pace when we got there, and started running. I ran after her, easily keeping pace.

I suddenly felt some sort of shimmering in the air and wondered what that was.

_That was Embry and Paul phasing back to their human selves to give us some privacy._ Bella's voice said.

We came to a clearing and Bella stopped and moved to the middle of it. She stretched out on the grass and rolled around a little bit before finding a comfortable spot and laying her head on her paws. Paws. Bella has paws. Weird.

There was a chuckling sound in my head. _You have paws too, Jake._ Wolf Bella smiled at me, which looked kinda weird with all the big sharp teeth. _Come lay down, Jake._ She said.

I did and Bella the wolf moved closer to me, pressing her wolf body up against mine, then I heard a sort of purring sound in my head.

_Bella?_ I asked, hoping she could hear me. _What's going on? Why are you a giant white wolf? Why am _I_ a giant wolf?_

_Well… it's a long story. Do you remember the stories that your dad always tells. The ones about the wolves that you descend from and the cold ones?_ She asked me. I nodded my huge head. Bella smiled. _Well. They are true, Jake._

Bella went on to tell me all about everything that I needed to know to be a werewolf and then she stopped. Her feelings shifted and she seemed to be nervous about something. It was really weird being able to read her mind and all, but I would get used to it.

_What is it Bells?_ I thought to her.

_Well. I'm going to tell you about it tomorrow at the bonfire. That's what it is for. We were going to tell you about us tomorrow, but you phased today… so…_ she trailed off.

Suddenly, she stood up and headed to the forest. I got up to follow her. _Um. Jake. Just stay there for a minute, okay? I'll be right back._ She ran into the forest and I felt her concentrating on something, then I was alone in my thoughts. She must have phased back, because I got that same feeling that I had when Embry and Paul phased back to their normal, human selves.

A minute later, Bella came out of the forest in nothing but a really big t-shirt. Ugh. She looks so hot! I'm glad she can't read my mind anymore, because it would be so embarrassing if she heard that.

"Alright Jake." She said, kneeling down in front of me. She reached her hand out and pet my head, scratched behind my ear and then leaned forward and planted a kiss right between my eyes. I think I actually purred. Then I licked her face.

"Eww! Gross, Jake!" she yelled, wiping her face off, but she had a smile on, so I knew she didn't mean it. "Come with me." she motioned for me to follow her into the woods, so, of course, I did. We didn't go too far, and she climbed up a tree. Then threw a pair of shorts down at me. "Here, you'll need those." She yelled down to me. She sounded like she was really high up in the tree.

Then there was a crashing sound and Bella landed on her feet in front of me. I tilted my head to the side in a silent question.

Bella chuckled and smiled at me. "I'm much more graceful since I became a werewolf." I shook my head disapprovingly at her, as if to say, _that's no reason for you to be jumping out of trees._ She just smiled and then told me how to phase back. Then she turned around so that I could.

I did what Bella said and thought about something that made me happy and calm. I thought about Bella. Then I felt like my bones were breaking and reforming. When I opened my eyes again, I was human… and naked. I quickly threw on the shorts that Bella had given me.

_Bella's POV_

I was waiting for Jake to finish getting dressed when I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my waist and pull me back into a warm chest. I sighed and closed my eyes, just loving to be near _My Jacob_. Warm lips caressed the skin of my neck, planting small, loving kisses.

After a minute I turned around and wrapped my arms around Jake's neck. I gave him one quick kiss and then pulled back so that I could see his face. "I love you, Jacob Black." I told him, then rested my head on his bare chest. Yup. He certainly grew a little bit. He's probably as big as Sam now.

Jake sighed and wrapped his hands around me tighter. "And I love you, Isabella Swan." He placed a soft kiss on top of my head and we just stood there, being with each other, for a few minutes.

Finally I sighed, knowing that we needed to head back soon. "Come on, your dad will be getting suspicious, we said we'd be back by four." I took his hand and we walked slowly back to the beach. We didn't say anything until we got almost to the beach. I had him turn around while I got redressed in my cami and shorts from earlier and I put the big t-shirt back into a tree. We keep some clothes in the trees around the area in case our clothes explode.

Then we made our way back to Jake's house to talk to Billy and Charlie (who was at the Black's for dinner tonight).

When we got in the door, they were sitting at the kitchen table talking about a fishing trip they were planning. Billy looked up and smiled. "Well, Jake, it's about time!" he said. Charlie nodded his agreement and took a sip of his coffee.

"Time for what?" Jake asked.

"Well, for you to phase, son!" Charlie exclaimed. Son? He called Jake son? I think he's getting a little ahead of himself. Charlie must have seen my expression, because he threw me a sheepish smile.

Jake hadn't noticed. "You can tell!" He asked.

I chuckled. "Come here, hun." I said, pulling him to the bathroom mirror.

Jake gave me a questioning look, but looked in the mirror. I could easily hear Charlie and Billy laughing in the kitchen after Jake's very loud "Holy shit!"

"Language!" Billy managed to call through his laughter.

Jake turned to me. "Well Bells, now I know why you look so different." I smiled and nodded. "Does this mean that my skin is going to get darker, like yours is doing?"

I looked at my hand in Jake's, he was still darker than me. "No. That's just my Quileute genes finally kicking in. Once my wolf gene started, the rest of my Quileute-ness decided it was about time to make itself known. You should see some of the reactions people at school have. Ugh! Mike still won't leave me alone. I mean, what do I have to do? Make out with some really hot guy on a motorcycle right in front of him?"

Something flashed in Jake's eyes that looked like anger, but I wasn't sure, he covered it up too quickly. He pulled me into his arms and placed a kiss on my mouth. It wasn't a soft kiss; I got the feeling that he was sort of claiming me with that kiss; it seemed a little possessive. He pulled away after a second and smiled down at me. "Come on, I have something to show you." He said, and started pulling me to the garage, telling Charlie and Billy that we'd be back soon.

"Okay, close your eyes." He said. I did and Jake left, going to another part of the garage. There was a sound as if a piece of cloth was being moved. "Okay, you can look now." I opened my eyes and immediately spotted Jake by the two motorcycles that I had gotten a few months back. They had been a mess, but Jake and I had been working on then; now they looked like they could work properly.

I screamed, ran and jumped into Jake's arms. He was laughing and was lucky to have caught me, but his newly acquired werewolf genes helped with that. My legs were wrapped around his waist and I was kissing him all over the face.

When I finished, Jake was looking at me seriously again, "Bella. You better not be making out with any guys except for me, even if it's to get Mike to leave you alone." He was completely serious when he said it too.

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Wouldn't dream of it." I promised him before placing a very gentle, very loving kiss on his lips. Right then, I knew that he had imprinted back on me, because he was being so possessive toward me. "Okay, can we go take them for a test drive now?" I asked him.

"Hmmm…" he replied, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. "Not yet." he skimmed his nose along my jaw line and I giggled. He moved to the side of my neck and breathed in deeply, then kissed up my throat and to my lips. My body was humming as he kissed me, drawing circles in my back.

Before it could get too heavy, I pulled back. Jake pouted at me and so I pecked him on the lips once. I turned pleading eyes on him and subtly glanced at the motorcycles for a second. I really wanted to learn to ride so I could take mine to school tomorrow. Jake chuckled and released me, taking my hand instead. "Okay, let's go talk to your dad about it first though."

"But he hates motorcycles, you know that." I replied.

"Yes, but you are a werewolf now and so you won't get hurt." He said. _Well, that's true, it defeats his entire argument._

I smiled and headed back to the house.

We got there and Charlie looked up, smiling at our joined hands. "Hey dad?" I asked, "Can I have a motorcycle?" he looked like he was about to argue, so I quickly continued, "Ya know, because I'm indestructible now." I looked at him pleadingly and he looked conflicted.

Finally he seemed to make a decision. "Alright." He said. "But I'm not paying for it and you still have to wear a helmet and jacket."

"Okay! Thanks dad!" I smiled hugely and then ran out the door with Jake, calling over my shoulder. "We'll be back later!"

Jake took me up to a dirt road in the mountain where we wouldn't be in anyone's way. He showed me all the stuff I would need to know, then he let me try, it took a few times, but I eventually could drive it pretty easily. Then it started raining, of course. It would be harder in the rain.

"Do you wanna head back? Out of the rain?" Jake asked me over the sound of the bikes.

I shook my head, "No, I should learn to ride in this weather, with how much it rains here."

Jake smiled and nodded. We rode some more and after a few scrapes and bruises, I could ride well enough that I thought I'd be able to take it to school with no problem.

We got back to Jake's at about seven thirty and Charlie and Billy had ordered pizza. Three pizzas, one for me, one for Jake, and one for Charlie and Billy to share.

"Billy, how are we going to afford to feed these kids?" Charlie asked.

"They'll have to get jobs," Billy replied.

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, but their schedules are so messed up that they wouldn't be able to hold them."

That got me thinking. We need something that will bring in money where the pack can work to help their families pay for their food. It would also be nice if that place had some kind of… employee… benefit, where they could get food for cheaper prices. Hmmm…

I had been told by the guys that I should open a bakery because my desserts are really good. And wasn't Sue Clearwater going to try and open a restaurant?

"Hey!" I said loudly, startling everyone, "Wasn't Sue gonna open a restaurant?" I asked Billy.

Billy nodded. "Yeah, but she couldn't afford a building or find enough workers."

I just nodded, making a note to head over to Sue's house later tonight. Jake gave me a questioning look and I just smiled at him in silent promise that I'd tell him soon.

It was nine o'clock when I pulled Jake out of the house, not telling anyone where we were going.

When we got to the Clearwater's, I knocked on the door, which was answered by Seth. "Hey, Seth." I smiled at him. "Is your mom home?" he nodded at me, giving me a huge grin.

Sue was in the kitchen, working on new recipes, perfect.

"Hey Sue." I called to her, taking a seat at the table. "I have a proposition for you." She and Jake both looked at me questioningly and I smiled. "Okay, so they guys all need jobs, right? And you really wanted to open that restaurant." She nodded, not sure where I was going. "And I want to open a bakery." Comprehension crossed over Jake's face and he smiled almost as big as I was. "So, how about you and I get the elders to give us a… loan… to open a restaurant/bakery here in town. I'm sure they would help us for the pack. The pack can work at the restaurant and that way the guys can make some money and they can work insanely flexible schedules." Sue was looking really excited by now.

"I love it!" she shouted when I was done, causing Harry, Seth and Leah to come in the room looking confused. She just shook her head at them. "Why don't we talk to the elders about it tomorrow night at the bonfire?"

"Yeah." I said. Jake, who had been quiet the whole time, randomly picked me up and kissed me, spinning me in a circle. Leah made gagging sounds in the background and Seth coughed loudly. I giggled and Jake put me back down. "Okay." I said, turning back to Sue. "I'm going to head back home now, I don't have… work tonight and there's school tomorrow, so yeah…" I smiled and turned toward the door. I took two steps and turned back around. "Oh! And I should be moving in within the next week or two."

_**PART TWO**_

_Bella's POV_

The alarm clock woke me up, or at least, it thought it did. I had been laying awake for about half an hour now. Charlie freaked out after Jake and I brought my bike home in the back of my truck last night. I had just smiled and pretended not to notice anything wrong with having the bike so soon after he said I could.

Well, time to get up. I jumped out of bed and went to my closet, glad that Jake had convinced me to get a helmet after I brought him the bikes and also glad that I had gotten the black leather jacket that I would be wearing today.

I put on a V-cut forest green short sleeve shirt that had a wide neck, so that the sleeves were almost to the end of my shoulders, but just close enough for it to stay on my shoulders. I then put on my favorite pair of dark blue boot cut jeans. Then I added my black boots under the cut of the jeans. They were almost cowboy boots, but had a two-inch thick heel and weren't very pointy. They zipped up on the inside and had no designs on them. Then came my new black leather jacket. It had some little silver circles on it next to the black zipper. No pockets, but it had two belt's, one around, just under my chest and one around the middle of the waist, with silver buckles on them.

I straightened my bangs so they fell just over half of my left eye and left the rest of my hair curly. I would wrap it up into my helmet during the ride so that it didn't get all wind-blown. I went downstairs, carrying my helmet and black bag that I use to double as a purse and a backpack. It went over my head for the strap to rest on my left shoulder and the bag part to rest on my right side. I figure it will be convenient for the bike. My helmet was all black, but after I phased, I had the outline of a white wolf painted on the front, howling to the full moon. I absolutely love it.

Charlie was eating some cereal when I came downstairs, but he spit out a sip of coffee when I walked into the kitchen and set my helmet down on the table.

"You alright dad?" I asked.

"Uh. Yeah, Bells. When did you… get that… stuff?" he was referring to the helmet, jacket, bag and boots.

"Oh, a while back. I recently had the helmet painted. Like it? I thought it was really cool." He looked at the wolf on the helmet. And smiled.

"Yeah. I do actually. Well, have fun at school today, Bells. Next week should be your last, if the paperwork works out this time, sorry about last time."

"It's fine dad." I sat down across from him, my own huge bowl of cereal in front of me. "And yeah, I'll have fun. Should be leaving soon, don't wanna be late for my almost last day of school at Forks High." Charlie smiled at me and nodded. I hadn't really changed my appearance all that much. This just made more sense to me. I mean, I have changed since I phased, so yeah. "Oh, I'm heading straight for La Push after school. Sue and I are going to get together to cook some food for the bonfire. Jacob's going to help… or try…" I trailed off, wondering if it was the best idea to have Jake in the kitchen while we were cooking, it could all disappear as fast as we make it. "They are going to let Seth go tonight, too. I wonder how he's going to take it." Charlie just shrugged, stood up, and put his bowl in the sink. I also put mine in the sink.

We both grabbed everything that we would need for that day, Charlie's shift started a little later today, which was why we were leaving at the same time. I went out to the truck, dropped open the bed and lifted the motorcycle out with no problem.

Charlie noticed. "Bella! Don't do that sort of thing in public. People might find out the secret!"

I just rolled my eyes, "Dad, there's no one outside close enough. Remember? Super hearing…"

He just shook his head and got in the cruiser while I wrapped my hair into my helmet. I slung one leg over my bike and started it up, loving the sound of the engine coming to life. I waved to Charlie once and then pulled out into the street. The ride was so much more fun than it was in my truck. Don't get me wrong, I love the truck, but this was so much more exhilarating!

I had left a tad bit early, so I decided to just go around town for a little bit. When it was time, I headed off to school, getting there in time to get a parking spot, but late enough that I wasn't one of the first there. Most of the school was already in the parking lot, spread out in their little groups. I hadn't thought about how obvious my bike would be in the sea of the old beat up cars. So, when I pulled in, everyone turned to stare at the girl on the bike. I don't think that any of them recognized me, but I didn't want to be the center of attention.

I parked as far from the Cullen's cars as I could while still being close to the school.

Yup, everyone's eyes were on me, I hated it, but had learned to push down my blush. I got off my bike, took off my helmet and shook out my hair, completely aware of the surprised expressions and chatter going through the student body. I just grabbed my helmet, made sure my bike was secure, made sure I took the key out and then made my way over to my group of friends. They were all staring at me too. I sighed silently then pretended that I didn't notice their stares.

"Hey guys! What's up?" I asked, leaning up against Tyler's van next to Angela, who was the only one not gaping at me like I had grown another eye in the middle of my forehead.

"Oh, not much." she answered for everyone. Going down to La Push this weekend, wanna come?" she then motioned to the helmet that I had under my left arm. "I like the wolf on there."

I smiled at her. "Thanks. Yeah, it's a … metaphorical symbol of protection down in La Push. What are you guys doing down there and when are you going?"

Mike finally piped up. "We're all taking my van down to the beach on Sunday. You should come, I'll pick you up at ten, okay?"

"Um, sure, I'll come. But I don't need picked up, I practically live there already. I'll be down there all weekend. Some of my friends might run into us while we are down there, so don't be surprised if people randomly start talking to you." I can just see Lauren and Jessica all over Jake and Paul… well, and the rest of the pack. They are all gorgeous.

"Alright. That's cool." Eric said.

The bell rang after that and I headed off to my first class.

The first half of the day passed in a blur and finally lunch came around. Good, I was starving. My problem was that I couldn't eat as much as I would like to because I didn't ever eat all that much before I phased and so, it would be suspicious if I suddenly started eating enough food for four… or five… or six… people.

I grabbed a tray and went to sit with my group, smiling as I sat next to Angela. Of course, Mike had to ruin my good mood by coming and sitting on my other side. I did my best to ignore him without being rude. I partially listened to everyone's conversation about the trip this weekend, knowing that I already have anything I might need down in La Push; and if I don't, well, what's wolf speed for?

I was thinking about My Jacob. But, he was always occupying a portion of my mind. I was also making a mental list of anything that I might need from the store for tonight. I know I'm going to have to make my chocolate chip cookies or Jake would kidnap me till I do… hmmm… maybe I won't make them.

"Bella?" that all too familiar velvety voice said. "Can I talk to you please?" I sighed and Angela passed me an apologetic smile and grabbed my hand, squeezing it once in encouragement before I got up and followed Edward over to his table. I dumped my empty tray on the way.

When I got there, we were all a little stiff at the smell of each other. I sat next to Alice, who instantly attached herself to my side in a hug. "Bella!" she said in her bell-like voice. Then she released me, "Egh. You smell so gross."

I smiled and laughed a little. "I've missed you too, Alice."

"Bella, what happened to you?" Emmet asked.

I sent a sad smile to the guy who was once seen as my big brother. "I… just went through some changes one day. I was planning on talking to you about this next week, but I'm not ready now." I turned to Edward. "Edward. We can't… see each other anymore. I think I've made that clear in the past month, but I just wanted to actually say it, just in case. I'm sorry, I really am, I love you guys, but, I think it's better this way. I still want to hang out with you guys, but I think that might take some time."

Alice frowned at me. "Why?"

"That's something I'm going to tell you about next week."

She sighed but said okay. Then it was off to Biology class… with Edward.

We were learning about wolves for the next week, which I found very interesting, so I paid extra attention, wanting to learn more about my wolf side.

Then there was gym. Now I'm much better at sports than I used to be, but I couldn't suddenly go from being the school klutz to being great at all sports, so I still had to act a little clumsy in gym for a while. When I switch schools, I can eat how much I need to and I can be good at gym, because no one there has ever seen me, except for the pack.

After gym, Mike followed me out to the parking lot, asking if I was sure that I didn't want a ride to the beach on Sunday.

"No Mike, I'll be fine. I'll have my motorcycle over there anyway, so I'll probably be driving that." I started heading to where I had parked my bike and it looked like people were staring in that direction. When I got around some cars, I understood why.

There was Jacob, leaning on his own bike, parked next to mine in the space, looking absolutely delicious. And, there was Lauren and Jessica, practically stripping in front of him. Ugh! The wolf in me got so mad, but I suppressed the urge to phase, knowing that if I did in front of the whole school, something bad would happen. So, instead, I just kept walking over toward the bikes.

"Is that one of your friends from La Push?" Mike asked next to me.

I smiled. "You could call him that."

I got to Lauren and Jessica and put one arm around each of their shoulders. "I see you guys have met Jake."

"Oh… is that his name? He wouldn't tell us." Jess said.

Then Lauren turned to me, "How do you know Jake, Bella?"

I smiled. _Oh, I know Jake better than you think._ "Well, Jake and I grew up together. We've known each other since he was born." I flashed an evil smile at Jacob, who chuckled in response. Jake then pushed himself up off his bike and moved a little closer to us.

I removed my arms from Lauren and Jessica and moved over to Jake, wrapping my arms around his waist in a hug. "What are you doing here?" I asked him innocently.

"Oh, I just thought I'd pick you up from school, since I didn't go today." he answered. Jake wasn't allowed at school until he went through training, which started on Monday for him… Sam was giving him a break because he had already imprinted and it's hard to be away from your imprint too long.

"Hmmm…" I said, pecking him on the lips once. Then I turned around. "Okay, so, Jake, this is Lauren, Jessica, and Mike." I motioned to them respectively. "And guys, this is Jake." I smiled broadly when I said his name and he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me so that my back was pressed firmly into his chest. I noticed now that he was only wearing a pair of shorts, no shirt; he was quickly picking up the signature werewolf dress code.

"Hey guys." Jake said happily before leaning down to whisper in my ear. "I love you." Was all he said, but it meant so much.

I turned my head slightly to kiss Jake, then remembered that we had company. "So, anyway, I'll see you guys Sunday." It was a way of saying that they probably want to leave now. And they nodded and turned to find the rest of our group.

I turned around again, so that I was facing Jake and still in his arms. "Hello gorgeous." He said to me and I giggled a little bit. He took one of his hands from my back and tilted my chin up with it. Our lips met lovingly and my hands snaked up his chest and around his neck, twining my fingers into his hair. He hadn't cut it yet, which made me happy. He really didn't look all that bad as a wolf with long hair.

His tongue swept along my bottom lip and I opened it for him. His hand that was on my chin, moved to grip the side of my neck and pull me closer while his other hand pushed my back so that our chests were closer. Our tongues danced and I could hear Mike grumbling about 'big Indian guys with motorcycles and no shirts'. After a while, my lungs needed air, so I pulled away and pecked Jake on the mouth once more.

I smiled at him and chuckled. He gave me a look that obviously meant _what?_ And so I answered. "Can you hear Mike?" he listened for a second and then a smile spread across his face.

He gave me one more lingering kiss and then sat down on the seat of his motorcycle, pulling me between his legs."So beautiful, what are we doing now?"

"Well," I smiled, "I have to go by the store to get some things and then head over to Sue's to cook for the bonfire tonight. Are you sure you want to help? I mean, I'd like for you to be there, but you don't have to come." I really wasn't sure what he could do.

He chuckled. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Bells." He said, kissing the side of my throat up to my mouth. After a minute he continued, "I'll cut fruit or something."

"Okay." I said, going over to my bike and putting my hair up in my helmet. I started up my bike and Jake did the same, which got anyone who wasn't already staring at us to look over. I smiled and pulled out of the parking spot, then raced out of the school lot and down the road, Jake followed me, weaving through the cars of students waiting in line to get out.

Like everything else in this small town, it didn't take more than three minutes to get to the grocery store. Then it only took about ten minutes to get everything and get back out to the bikes. Fifteen more minutes and we were pulling up at the Clearwater's house.

"Well it's about time!" Emily said. I didn't know that she was coming to help, and Leah was in the kitchen as well, helping her mom with something. "Here, I made you guys something to eat before you get to work, I don't want all my food disappearing before the bonfire." Emily motioned to the little table and Jake and I sat down. She brought a lasagna out of the oven and sat it in front of us with two forks. "I don't think you guys will need plates, right?" she asked. Jake and I chuckled, Emily and Sue smiled and Leah looked appalled at the idea that Jake and I could eat that whole thing.

I had Jake wash the pan for the lasagna and realized that that was what he should be doing. So, as I used stuff to measure ingredients and used the mixing bowl or cooking sheets, I had Jake wash them as I went. When he wasn't doing that, he did chop up fruit or vegetables for some of the thing that the other girls were making or for some of my pies. I was the only one baking desserts, so I had to work as quickly as I could, making shells for the pies as two sheets of cookies were in the oven baking. It was a good thing that Sue had two ovens in her house, so I used one for cookies and pies and cakes and the rest of them used one for lasagna and baked potatoes and anything else they were making. It was surprisingly easy to move around the little kitchen with all of us in there. We had a sort of natural choreography with each other and I couldn't help but think that this is what it should be like when Sue and I open the restaurant. It could be the four of us. Sue, Emily, Leah, and I. I'll have to talk to Leah and Emily about it tonight at the bonfire.

Seth showed up in the kitchen when the last things were baking and decided to eat one of my chocolate chip cookies. "Hey! Those are for the bonfire!" I yelled at him jokingly. But I did wrap up the rest of the cookies and everything else that I had made, except for the cakes. Leah and Emily were working on some frostings for them and Sue had gone off somewhere. Jake was sitting at the table, eating one of my chocolate chip cookies as well.

"Bella, these are delicious." Seth said, sitting down next to Jake.

I laughed and did a little bow. "Glad you like it, but seriously, the rest are for the bonfire. Those boys eat so much."

Jake shot me a sly grin, "You eat just as much as the rest of us, Bells." I narrowed my eyes at him, but laughed, it was so true; I may even eat more than them.

I'll have to remember to bring my truck to the next bonfire, because we barely had enough room for all the food in Sue's car and next time, there would be more of us and Seth will have phased as well, so he will eat a lot of food. But, we managed to get the food in there, the group was a little uncomfortable, but Jake and I were fine because we took our bikes down to the beach.

We were some of the first there so Jake, Seth, and I set up some tables for the food to go on. Then we started the fire while the girls set the food out on the tables. It didn't take long for everyone else to show up after that. Paul and Sam were first, wanting to be with their imprints.

Leah ran up to Paul and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him on the mouth before he could even get halfway from the parking lot. I looked away, still not ready to see that. I was getting better as long as I had Jake with me, but I just can't see him with her yet.

When everyone got there, we started eating. The food didn't last long and the pack made sure that everyone else had everything that they wanted before digging in. We pretty much all got our own cakes and pies with how many I had made, but still, there was nothing left after the pack finished eating. I was glad that I had kept some desserts at the Clearwater's house for Seth, Leah and I to eat tonight. Sue had invited me to stay the whole weekend at their house so that I could get used to living with them before I actually moved in.

The elders were about to tell the tribe legends when Jake pulled me up from my seat and set me down in his lap. I smiled and snuggled up into his chest, happy to be there.

Everyone was completely captivated as the elders told the stories of the tribe. My personal favorite was the one about the third wife and how she sacrificed herself for her family. I know that I would do that for Jacob in an instant.

Then it was time to tell everyone that the legends are true. I don't know why, but they had chosen me to be the one to phase to prove to Leah and Seth that it's all true. So, when Old Quil nodded to me, I stood up and went into the forest while he told everyone that the stories were true. I could hear his voice as I undressed and phased. When I was a wolf, I could hear everything much better; including Embry's muttered 'girls. Take forever to get dressed and undressed.'

I came back out to the bonfire and Leah screamed. Paul pulled her into his arms saying "It's okay, that's just Bella." Over and over again. So, to help prove that it was just me, I went over to Jake.

As I made my way there, I could feel Leah's eyes on me, she was probably scared that I was going to eat him. I sat next to Jake and he rubbed my head and scratched behind my ears making me purr. I licked his face and he made a face that clearly said 'gross', but he continued to pet me after wiping off his face.

"See, Leah, no one else would want to be around Jake." He said in a fake disgusted voice. "So it has to be Bella."

I growled and then pounced on him, Leah screamed again, but the whole pack was laughing saying stuff like 'he should really learn not to piss off Bella' or 'Here we go again' or 'don't say anything bad about Bella's mate'. Embry and I rolled around on the ground for a little bit, play fighting, even though he was still in human form.

After a little bit, Leah was laughing with us. Then she asked Paul a question. "Can… can I touch her." Yay! She was accepting us! Before Paul could answer, I had trotted over to Leah and rubbed my head up against her arm. She smiled and started petting me while everyone else just watched her accept our secret.

Then I went over to Seth, because he was new to this too, and licked his arm. "Eww. Gross." He said then looked me in the eyes. "Bella?" he asked. I nodded my head and he hugged me, which was a little awkward because I was so much bigger than him. I went back to Jake and laid down in the sand, resting my head in his lap. He absentmindedly pet me as Old Quil went on to tell everyone about the reason that we were like this and about the cold ones that had come to our land and lived in Forks now. The Cullen family. He also talked about how this was a secret and only those here tonight knew about it and they couldn't tell anyone else.

When it was time, I went back to the forest and phased back and got dressed. Everyone was waiting for me when I came back to the fire. Leah and Seth looked at me a little different now. I think they understood how dangerous I actually was and were a little scared of me because they had seen my wolf side. It was good that they were a little bit scared, because that means that if I tell them to get away because of something dangerous, they'll listen to me.

Everyone was watching either me or Paul, waiting for us to tell our imprints about imprinting. I looked over at Paul and he nodded to me. I turned back to Jake while he turned to Leah. "Jake, there's one thing that you don't know about me." he just kept looking at me, waiting for me to tell him what it was. But I could feel everyone's eyes on me, even Paul's. He had stopped telling Leah in order to listen to me. I couldn't handle it. I stood up, grabbed Jakes hand, said "We'll be back" and then pulled Jake down the beach to our driftwood.

We sat down and he turned to look at me again. "What is it Bells?"

I took both of Jake's hands in mine. "There is something else that werewolves do and it's called imprinting." He raised one eyebrow when I stopped. "Okay, imprinting is what happens when a wolf finds his soul mate… or her soul mate in my case… but that's not the point. When a wolf imprints, nothing else in the world matters to them anymore. The only thing that they care about is the person that they imprinted on. It's like, everything in your life shifts and is dependent on that one person, like your entire being is attached to them with a million unbreakable strings. You would do anything for your imprint. Anything at all. Jake. I imprinted on you." I looked at him with all the love in the world. "And when you first phased, you imprinted on me too."

A huge smile broke across Jake's face and he pulled me to him and kissed me with a gentle, loving kiss that had my head spinning by the time he released me. _He accepted it, he accepted it_. was all that I could think. _It's okay with him that he loves me. That he has to love me. He's okay with it._

I pulled him back to me for another kiss, my left hand holding his right hand and my right hand cupping his cheek. I didn't want this moment to ever end, I just wanted to be like this with him forever. But, I knew that we had to get back to the rest of the group and see how things went with Paul and Leah. And then Sue and I had to talk to the elders about opening our restaurant and bakery place.

We walked back to the group slowly, hand in hand, little kisses here and there as we headed back. It was like a picture: a couple walking down the beach saying nothing, just being together.

Back with the group, Leah must have taken it well, because she was sitting on Paul's lap holding his hand and kissing his cheek every twenty seconds. Jake sat down and then Sue and I grabbed Leah and Emily and pulled them away, down the beach. This earned us protests from Paul, Sam, and Jacob, but no one actually tried following us, scared that I might hurt them if they did.

"Okay." I said when we got out of range for the pack to hear us. "This is far enough."

Sue smiled and turned to Leah and Emily "Okay guys, since the pack eats so much, their families can't afford to feed them, so they need to get jobs. The problem with that is they have insane schedules because they have to patrol around La Push and if a threat were to come, they would have to drop everything and go take care of it." Leah and Emily nodded, understanding what she meant. "So what Bella came up with was for she and I to start a restaurant and bakery that the boys could work at without having to worry about needing to run out. They can work all the insane hours that they need to in order to keep La Push safe but still make money."

That's where I cut in. "And I think we should have some kind of thing where they can take home whatever is left over from the day so that we don't have to throw out food for the health laws and they don't have to spend all their money on food." Sue nodded, agreeing with me on this. "So, Sue and I were wondering if you two wanted to help out at the restaurant?" I asked, hoping that they would say yes.

Leah and Emily looked at each other and then simultaneously jumped on me and Sue, screaming "Yes!" so loud that I'm sure the pack could hear them. We all rolled around in the sand laughing for a little bit and then decided to go ask the elders about it.

When we asked the elders, they sort of formed a circle and muttered amongst themselves for about five minutes while the rest of us waited for them. When they turned back to face us, Jake squeezed my hand comfortingly.

Old Quil did the talking, as usual. "We think that you are correct in your reasoning that the pack will need somewhere they can work without worrying about their other responsibilities. So, we have unanimously decided that we will help you to open your store, so long as you pay back the tribe as soon as you can. The four of us squealed and I jumped up to give Old Quil a hug without thinking. He was surprised at first, but hugged me back after a moment, laughing at all of our reactions.

That night Sue and I stayed up for hours working on plans for the layout of the restaurant. We had already decided that we were going to buy this cute little building that had been run down for years. It needed some fixing, but the pack could help with that. The elders said that they would pay for everything with money from what I considered the tribe money box, and we would pay them back for all the expenses as soon as we got the money.

It was about four in the morning when we finally decided that it was time to put everything away and go to sleep. I had patrol in six hours and really wanted to get some sleep before that.

_**PART THREE**_

_Bella's POV_

Patrol was much like it usually is, hours of searching the La Push area for any threats, making sure there were no leeches in our land, checking the border to make sure the Cullen's were upholding their part of the pact, and dealing with Embry's mind invading mine. Fun.

It was night when I got back to the Clearwater's house and Seth wanted to hang out. I was tired, but decided that I might as well. We watched a couple movies and I fell asleep on the couch, which is where I woke up the next morning. Seth must have moved me so that I'd be more comfortable. He had also put a blanket over me. One that wasn't really needed thanks to my werewolf genes, but the thought was nice. Then I realized that it was Sunday and I had agreed to meet everyone from school down at the beach at ten. I looked at the clock, I still had an hour, so I showered and got dressed in some clothes that I had borrowed from Leah. I was talker than her and much more muscular, but her light blue short shorts and black cami fit me perfectly.

I told Leah I'd be down at the beach with some friends and that she could come by if she wanted to. She mumbled a good bye and then buried herself back into her pillow.

I decided not to take my helmet or jacket, not like I actually need them, and left for the beach on my motorcycle. When I get the money, I'm going to have it painted to match my helmet, but I had to get the restaurant/bakery up and running first.

Everyone was there when I got to the beach. Angela ran up and gave me a hug then pulled me over with the rest of the group.

It was the usual, Mike tried to flirt with me, Angela was nice, and Lauren and Jessica just wanted to know if Jake and I were still together. I can't believe that they are trying to steal my … imprint from me! I just realized that he isn't my boyfriend, I'm really gonna have to fix that. But I told them that we are still together, because, we are, I just don't know how to refer to him other than as my imprint.

Around noon, Jake, Sam, and Embry showed up, having just switched patrol with Jared and Paul. Usually there are only two of us on patrol at a time, but since Jake was new, they were showing him the ropes. Then tomorrow he started training. I'm glad that he has a little head start on training, because then he will get out sooner. He was just as controlled as I was, which made Sam both happy and jealous. I found out from Sam's thoughts a few days ago that Jacob is the rightful Alpha and that after Jake finished training, Sam was going to step down to second in command and Jake will take his rightful place. This will also push me down to third in command.

Jake held me on his lap while we all sat around and talked. Eric, Ben, and Tyler were surfing and Sam and Embry had joined them, the rest of us were sitting around in the sand. Mike kept throwing glares at Jake, who ignored them and just kissed me every time Mike glared at him. Lauren and Jessica were watching Sam and Embry surf.

About an hour later Jared came running out of the woods in a pair of cut-off shorts. "Bella!" he called when he saw me, causing Lauren and Jessica to send me more glares for knowing so many hot guys. "It's Seth. He… oh… there are other people here…" he said, looking around at those not in the pack. "Well… never mind. Seth… well, he… you know. And he's asking for you." I raised an eyebrow at that. _Seth wanted _me_ to help with his first time phasing?_ Jared continued. "Paul is trying to… ya know… but Seth won't listen to him, he just wants you." _okay then…_

I sighed, got up out of Jake's lap after giving him a lingering kiss and told everyone I'd be back soon. Then I followed Jared into the forest, stripped and phased.

**Alright! So there you go. Jake phased, Seth phased, Bella's opening a bakery, and the Cullens are getting suspicious. And of course you have Mike and his everlasting idea that he is going to marry Bella or something and Lauren and Jessica who are being their usual bitchy selves. Fun isn't it?**

**Now. I love you all soooo much. just keep the reviews coming in. I'm sorry about not having internet. =(**

**But this chapter was certainly long enough for you to not be too mad at me, right?**

**Love you all! Review! =)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it's late.**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_Seth's POV_

So, I'm walking by the woods outside my house when I suddenly just explode! I mean, what am I supposed to think from that? It literally felt like my entire body just… exploded. Am I still alive? I think so because I can still see my house from here and I'm still in the woods. But, I just exploded, no one can live through that, right?

_You didn't explode, Seth!_

What was that? Great, now I'm hearing voices. I want my mom. I want Bella.

_Seth, it's okay, it's just me, Jared, and Paul is with me. You just phased into a werewolf is all, don't worry. _The voice spoke again.

I don't care, I still want Bella. Get me Bella. I'm going to go find her. She left for the beach this morning.

_Seth! No! You can't go to the beach like this, you have to phase back first. Just stay where you are, Jared went to get Bella for you. Okay?_ Another voice said. I assume this one is Paul.

It seems like the voices are in my head, which is weird. Why would I feel like they are in my head and not coming from somewhere else?

Apparently the voice had the answer to this. _We talk to each other with our minds._

I felt something in the air… or in my mind… and then it happened again.

_I'm coming, Seth._ A voice that sounded like Bella said.

About a minute later, a large white wolf came running through the woods towards me. _MOM!_ I thought. The Bella wolf stopped immediately, almost hitting a tree as she just stared at me.

I could pick up some of what she was thinking. _mom? I'm not anyone's mom? Did Seth just call me mom? No, he's confused. I'm not his mom. But why did he call me his mom? Oh. Now he's staring at me sheepishly. I guess I wasn't really supposed to hear that. But he called me mom. I don't know if I can move. Aww… he's so cute, trying to hide. _I had ducked my head away from Bella. I hadn't thought about her actually hearing me call her that. But she was a mom to me, so… yeah. This is awkward. I mean, I still love my real mom, but Bella is also like a mom… oh. She's moving.

Bella finally must have regained her composure and remembered why she was here, because she started walking toward me again.

_Hey Seth. It's alright. Jared and Paul are going to head back to the beach and I'm going to help you out, okay?_ Bella thought to me.

I nodded my head and she smiled… with a lot of big teeth.

Bella spoke again. _Okay, now you already knew that the legends were true, so I don't need to explain any of that to you, do I?_ I shook my head 'no'. _Good, _Bella continued, _so, for now, what you need to know is that you have to go through a sort of training camp thing for a while. Jake is new too, so he has to go through it with you. Your body temperature is going to be a lot higher now than it should be, so you can't go to the doctors. Ever. But you probably won't need to because we heal really fast. And, of course, you need to learn how to phase back._

Bella had me turn around and then there was that weird shimmering feeling in my head and Bella must have phased back. Then I heard something like someone climbing a tree. A minute later, Bella landed in front of me in a huge t-shirt that went down to mid thigh. She was holding a pair of shorts in her hand. She told me how to phase back laid the shorts on the ground in front of me and turned around to wait for me.

It took a few minutes, but I finally managed to phased back to my human self. To find out why I needed the shorts. I quickly put them on and then tackled Bella. "Thank you." I said to her when I pulled away.

"It's no problem, Seth. Now, I was down at the beach with some of my friends from school, I'm going to head back there, did you want to come?" Bella offered.

I nodded and Bella smiled and took my hand. She was holding my hand. Maybe she really was adapting to the mom role.

_Jacob's POV_

Bella left with Jared, making me a little sad because I wanted to be with her, but I knew that she needed to go take care of Seth.

The second that Bella was out of sight, Lauren and Jessica attacked me. Lauren latched onto me and pretty much started raping me, causing Embry to laugh. I detached Lauren from myself and punched Embry in the arm before sitting next to him.

It had been about two minutes since Bella and Jared left. Jared and Paul came out of the forest, but Bella wasn't with them. I looked up at Jared for an answer. "Bella's… talking to him." Jared told me.

Paul seemed to be holding in a laugh. I raised an eyebrow at him in silent question. He couldn't hold it in anymore and just started laughing. "Man… you should have been there…" he got out between breaths, "Seth's reaction… when… Bella got… there…"

At this point, Jared rolled his eyes. "He called her 'mom'." He explained. I didn't see what was so funny about that, but okay… "Don't pay any attention to him, he's going through withdrawal. He hasn't seen Leah since the bonfire Friday night." I nodded my understanding. That makes perfect sense; I didn't like being away from Bella for any amount of time at all.

Sam thinks that Bella and I have an even stronger bond than the other imprints because we both imprinted on each other and because I'm the rightful Alpha. I don't know what the Alpha part has to do with it, but the double imprinting thing makes sense.

It had been about ten minutes since Jared and Paul showed up when Bella finally came out of the woods with Seth in tow. Bella was wearing the same clothes from earlier and Seth was dressed like the rest of us wolves… well… the rest of us guy wolves… in only a pair of shorts. Seth certainly had changed after the phase, he was taller and had muscle, but his face hadn't matured all that much, so he still looked like a teenager. The rest of the pack, including Bella, all looked to be around twenty three.

Jared and Paul both sighed heavily, knowing that this meant that they had to go back on patrol. Seth came and sat by me and Bella hugged both Jared and Paul and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful." She said to them. Paul smiled at her and promised he would, Jared gave her a questioning look, but hugged her back. Seth sat by me smiling at my imprint like she held his world. For a minute I thought that he might have imprinted on her too, but then I remembered that he thought of her as a mother. Does that make me… like… his dad? Okay, I'm thinking too far into this.

When Paul and Jared disappeared into the forest I held my arms out for Bella to come sit with me again. She smiled and lowered herself onto my lap, kissing me softly once when she got there.

I kissed the back of her neck lovingly and ran my nose above her pulse point, breathing in her scent. She smelled wonderful, like flowers but her strawberry and vanilla shampoo and body wash made her smell sweeter. "So," I began quietly while I continued to kiss her neck, "you're kissing everyone and telling them to be careful now?" I meant it as a joke, but I was also a little bit serious. I didn't really like that she had kissed them, even though it was just on the cheek.

Bella must have heard the serious and jealous part more than the joking part because she turned to me and gave me a passionate kiss. When she pulled away she explained her actions. "They need someone to do that for them. They need someone to look out for them. We all put our lives on the line every day and we all need someone to tell us that they love us and want us to come back to them."

I understood what she meant. Maybe Seth was right, maybe she really was becoming a mother to the pack. "But what about you? You need someone too. You put your life on the line just as much as any of us, if not more."

She smiled and shook her head. "Even though that's true, I don't need anyone. I have you and you are all I need. It's too late for me. I never had a mother; I was always the adult with Renee and even a little bit with Charlie, but the rest of the pack deserves one. Even if they still have their mothers, they need someone else. I'm not saying that their mothers aren't doing their jobs because they are, they are doing amazing jobs with the pack, but they can't relate. Someone who knows what they face every day telling them to be safe is different from someone who just knows that what they do could get them hurt someday." Bella finished and kissed me once more, very gently.

She stood up, took one of my hands and one of Seth's hands and pulled us up with her. "Okay, let's go cliff diving."

_Bella's POV_

I took Jake and Seth up to the top of the cliff where we liked to dive after we phased. Seth looked a little scared. I smiled at looked him in the eye. "It's okay. Now that we are werewolves we really are kinda indestructible, you don't have to worry about anything. I'll take care of you, okay?" he nodded at me and smiled after a second.

I gave Jake a kiss and then backed up from the cliff a little bit. "Be careful." Jake told me before I started running. I smiled knowing Jake would always take care of me.

I took one last step back and then ran forward, flinging myself from the Cliffside and plummeting to the waters below. They were beckoning to me, calling for me to fall down to them. I felt so free in those seconds, I felt like Pocahontas when she jumped off of the cliff at the beginning of the movie. The sound of the air rushing past my ears almost blocked out all other sound, but my werewolf hearing allowed me to hear someone scream from the beach below. I forced my eyes open long enough to make sure everything was okay down there and then closed them again, feeling the air pulling through my hair as I descended. Then I smacked into the tumbling waves.

I dove deep and the waves tossed me around for a moment before I broke through the surface, breathing in the fresh air. I smiled and looked up at Jake and Seth. Relief passed over both their faces when they saw me come out of the water.

Seth was next and I waited in the water for him, keeping my promise to take care of him. He hit the surface a few feet next to me. When he came up a minute later he had the biggest grin on his face. Well, until Jake crashed down about a foot away from him, splashing Seth with water and almost pulling him under the waves again. I laughed until something pulled on my leg from under the water. I knew it was Jake so I smiled encouragingly at Seth before allowing Jake to pull me under the water.

It was kind of weird attempting a wrestling match under water and we eventually gave up, both resurfacing next to each other. I turned so that I was facing him and wrapped my arms around his neck quickly, pulling him to me. Our lips met lovingly and Seth made gagging sounds a little bit into it. I laughed into the kiss and pulled away, swimming back up to the beach.

Jessica ran up to me screaming, "Oh My God! Bella! Why did you do that! You don't need to try to kill yourself!" he hugged me, some tears running down her face. Wow. I didn't know that Jess actually cared.

"I wasn't, I was just cliff diving, its fun." I smiled, but then Lauren latched herself onto Jacob and I didn't care what Jessica thought right then. I was so tired of Lauren trying to steal Jacob and messing with him!

I pulled Jessica off me telling her to give me a second then moved to where Jake was trying to get Lauren off of him without hurting her, but I wasn't going to be so kind. I grabbed one of Lauren's shoulders and yanked her off of Jake roughly before screaming in her face. "Would you just stay the hell away from my boyfriend! I'm tired of it! He doesn't like it and I can promise you that I don't like it one bit! So stop! I better not see you on him again!" She looked absolutely terrified and nodded her head. Good. I turned to go to Jake, but thought of something. "Actually, that goes for all my guys. Okay? Most of them are in serious relationships and their girlfriends may not be able to hurt you, but I promise you I can and I will if you keep throwing yourself at any of them!" I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm myself. I realized that everyone was staring at me and had to push down the blush that really wanted to cover my cheeks at the attention. Even Angela looked a little scared of me, but she gave me a look that obviously said she wanted to talk to me.

I sighed, gave Seth a peck on the cheek, kissed Jake quickly, told them to be safe, glared at Lauren and then followed Angela down the beach. She took one of my arms and locked hers with it through the elbow.

After about five minutes she finally spoke. "Bella...what's happening to you? I mean, not that I disapprove, it's about time someone put that bitch in her place, but you're just so different now." My eyes widened and I didn't get past the fact that Angela, sweet Angela, had just cursed. She must have noticed what had caught my attention because a light blush colored her cheeks. "Sorry." She muttered.

I smiled at her. "It's fine Ang. Just a little surprising. I know that I have changed lately, and I'm sorry if I scared you back there. My life just took a couple… unexpected turns and they changed me as a person, I think for the better. I'm more confident now and I'm not going to let myself get pushed around anymore. I'm still the same person, it's just that, some of the things that I had to bury in order to take care of my mom and well, there surfacing. I still have the parts that you know, but the other parts have finally made themselves known as well. Jake helps me with it. If it weren't for him, I probably would have ripped Lauren's head off Friday when she was practically stripping in front of him." Angela actually smiled at that.

I stopped and faced Angela. "Look, I know that you aren't used to that side of me, and to be honest, neither am I. I'm just very protective of my boys. They really can look out for themselves but sometimes they shouldn't have to." I smiled and Angela nodded her head.

"So, what's with the extreme sports?" Angela asked laughingly.

I laughed with her. "Just something that I've been wanting to do for a while. Jake and I have been fixing up the bikes for a little over a month and cliff diving started around that time too. Well, wanting to cliff dive did, I didn't actually start cliff diving till after I missed all that school."

Angela laughed again, "So, after missing a month of school for being sick, you decided to jump off of a cliff into the ocean?" I laughed with her at the irony. If only Angela knew that cliff diving and motorcycles were the least dangerous things I do anymore… I'd say fighting vampires would probably go high up on the danger list.

"Hey," I protested, "I wasn't gone for a _whole_ month. Only about three and a half weeks."

We just laughed and smiled, feeling better. Angela was such a great friend.

**So? It seems so short compared to the last chapter, but the last chapter was just three times longer than my usual ones, so really, this one's about normal.**

**What else should happen? How will the Cullens react when they find out Bella is a wolf? Remember how I had you vote on your fav. Wolf and vamp? You'll find out why I did that within the next two chapters. =) So, if you haven't voted yet, go do it. If you would like, you could just send your vote in with a review or message me. I can only have one of the questions up at a time, so if you want to vote on both, it would probably just be easiest to vote in a review. Thanks guys!**

**Love you all! =)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry it's been so long again. My internet connection keeps deciding not to like me, so I just have to update whenever I'm out of town at a hotel or something. Also, I just moved and just got my internet back up, so I updated as soon as I could.**

**Thank you to everyone reading this and everyone who reviews. And of course, thanks go to my beta, without whom this would probably be an annoying fic to read. She catches all my mistakes and typos and also adds her own flavor into the mix. Love you! =P**

**Anyway, some interesting things happening this chapter, hope you like.**

**Also, you will find out why I had you vote on your fav vamp and wolf. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters used in this fanfic.**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_Bella's POV_

Wednesday.

Jake and Seth have been in training for three days now and I miss them both so much. The imprint makes it so hard for me not to just go off and find Jake. Sam has let Jake come pick me up from school every day, so that helps a little, but it still hurts because we only get to see each other for about an hour every day.

Sam says that Jake is getting through training very quickly and he should be done by the end of next week. He thinks that it's due to the imprint. Well, that and the fact that Jake is rightful Alpha, so he is more natural at this than most of us are.

Thursday.

The Cullen's are getting a little annoying; we are going to have to tell them soon, I'm just not sure that I want to. I mean, what if they hate me? I love them still, I really do, but technically, we are arch enemies. Stupid mythological stuff.

"Hey, what are you doing tomorrow after school?" Angela asked me as we were leaving for the parking lot.

I smiled at her. "I don't know, hanging out with Jake for about an hour. Why?"

"Well, Jess and I are going to head out to Port Angeles to look for prom dresses. Mike asked Jessica and I'm going with Eric. So, I was thinking, that maybe you would want to come. I know you don't like dancing and all, but I would at least like your opinion on my dress."

I smiled, thinking about my once-upon-a-time complete lack of coordination. Prom was coming up at the Rez School too and I had been thinking about going with Jake. "Yeah, I'll come." I smiled and then thought of something. "Hey, do you mind if I bring a friend?"

"Sure, that's fine. This is great, okay so we are leaving right after school, sorry about having to cancel your plans with Jake. Anyway, so we need to find out who's driving. Could you or your friend, because I don't have a car and Jess got her license taken away by her parents last week." I nodded my head in affirmation. "Oh! And…." Angela's voice sorta drowned out into the noise surrounding us because I found Jake in his usual position of leaning against his motorcycle. I smiled at him, gave Angela a hug and then ran into his arms.

Jake chuckled at my excitement to see him. "Hey gorgeous." He greeted me before leaning down and planting a kiss on my lips.

There was a coughing sound and I noticed that the rest of the pack was here too. Great. People were just getting used to seeing Jake around after school, and now there were five more gorgeous men standing around in the parking lot. Everyone was staring. Again. Most of the girls were a little bit awe struck for a minute before making their way towards some of the guys. Lauren stayed away after a glare from me and she actually grabbed a couple girls and pulled them away with her; one of them being Jessica.

I turned in Jake's arms to face the rest of the pack. "What's going on?" I asked.

Sam shot a glance at where the Cullen's were standing not too far away and then looked back at me. I got the message.

"Alright, alright, I'll go tell them." I started pulling Jake away with me, but Sam stopped me. "What?" I asked.

"It's too risky, Jake's new, we don't know how he's going to react around them and we can't risk the secret getting out." it made sense, so I sighed and dragged Paul along with me.

Paul and I had been very careful with our thoughts around Jake when in wolf form, so far Jake hadn't caught on to anything that would give away how close we had been and I didn't want to see how he would react if he did find out. "How have you been?" I asked Paul as we slowly made our way over to the Cullen's, who seemed to be waiting for us.

Paul took my hand and squeezed it gently. I heard a low growl from somewhere behind us, but didn't pay attention, Sam would keep Jake in check. "I've been okay. I've missed you though." Paul and I were still avoiding each other a little bit.

I nodded my head in understanding. "I've missed you too. I think that we could try to be friends again." that made him smile.

"Yeah, I'd like that." I smiled with him. Seth, Embry and Jared were all beginning to think of me as a mother to the pack. Seth had already thought of me as a mom, he even called me mom sometimes. And the other two were just starting to think that way. Jake obviously _didn't_ think of me as a mom. And Sam still thought of me as his third in command. Part of me wondered what I would be to him once Jake took over the position of Alpha. Paul and I really hadn't had much of a relationship. I still cared about him and he cared about me, but since the imprinting, neither of us had tried too hard to harbor a friendship. I treated him like I did the rest of the pack, always telling them to be careful whenever they went off and giving them a kiss on the cheek. I was there for them when they needed someone to talk to about anything. But it had been hard on Paul lately. So it would be good for both of us to try to make a friendship.

We got a few feet from the Cullen's and stopped. I smiled timidly at Alice. Before turning to look at all five of them. "We need to meet." I told them, straight to the point.

Alice nodded. "I can't see past the wolves, I don't know what's going to happen, so that means we are going to meet up. All of us."

Paul decided to take it from here. "We need to meet someplace secluded, where the humans can't see us, in case things get out of control." Edward was looking intently at Paul, trying to read his thoughts, but I had put up a wall on the whole pack's mind.

Finally it seemed to be too much for him. "I don't get it!" he yelled, but only loud enough for us to hear. "Why can't I read you? I can read everyone except for Bella and now I can't read you either!"

Paul smirked at me and I smiled. "That's something we will explain later as well." Paul told him, smirk still in place. Edward huffed and turned to look at me expectantly. I just shook my head, telling him that I wasn't about to give in.

"Okay." Emmet took up the conversation. "We can meet at our house. I'll call Carlisle and tell him. We can meet after dark."

Alice nodded her agreement. "At seven thirty."

Paul and I each nodded once before turning to head back to the rest of the pack. People were still staring at Paul and me, no doubt wondering what the weird confrontation was. Of course, none of them could have heard it, because it was all spoken to quietly for human ears.

There were a couple girls talking to Seth, who looked uncomfortable and one talking to Jared and Embry, both of them looked a little uneasy as well. Sam was ignoring a girl that was trying to talk to him and Jake was just staring at me. I don't even think he noticed the two girls in front of him.

I smirked; this was going to be fun. I kissed Paul on the cheek and made my way over to Seth. "Hey, Hun. You alright?" I asked, interrupting the two girls that had been talking to him.

Seth smiled and sighed in relief. "Yeah. Thanks mo-Bella." I kissed him on the cheek, catching his slip-up and then shot a glare at the girls who were slowly retreating.

After that I went to glare at the girl talking to Embry and Jared. "Hey, Kelsey." I said to her sweetly, glare still in place. "So, I see you've met some of my boys." She nodded and I saw her gulp. "Well, that's great. I'm sure you've told them all about David. How long have you two been together?" I spotted David across the parking lot, glaring at our group. "Oh. Look, I think he's looking for you. Well, I'll see you in English tomorrow." She scurried away and I turned to fake-glare at Jared and Embry. "How many times do I have to tell you boys to BE CAREFUL?" they looked between the two of them and then back at me. Then the three of us burst into laughter.

I was admiring my handiwork, which included the girl that had been trying to talk to Sam running off as well, when I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my waist from behind and someone started nuzzling my ear. I sighed and turned in Jake's arms. I caught a glimpse of the two girls that had been trying to talk to Jake glaring at me as they walked away. My work here was done.

"Hey gorgeous." Jake said as he leaned down and placed a very small, very sweet kiss on my lips. "So, what are your plans for the next four hours?" he asked when he pulled away a moment later.

"Hmmm…" I hummed. "I don't know, what were you thinking?"

"Alright you two! Break it up!" Sam said, pulling us apart, literally. I frowned which made Sam laugh and then he let go of both Jake and I.

"We have things to do; I can't let the two of you get carried away." Sam rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Now, we all need to go back to my house and talk about everything."

I know that he was right. No matter how much I didn't want to think about it or how much I wish I could just 'wing it', we were going to have to make a plan; otherwise, things could go very wrong, and we couldn't take any chances.

Seven o'clock. We had finished out planning a while ago and were just getting ready in case a fight would break out. Our first priority was to protect the tribe. I had to keep everyone's minds completely blocked during the encounter. I was going in human with Sam and Jake; everyone else was going in their wolf form as backup.

Seven fifteen. Sam had us all head out. We wanted to get to the Cullen's house a little early so that we could get more used to the smell. Hopefully the wind would be on our side and blow it away from us as much as possible.

Sam, Jake, and I all phased back to human when we got close. I ran off a little ways and made sure that everyone's mind was blocked before phasing back and dressing. Then I headed back to where the group was waiting for me. It was taking a little bit of energy, as it always did, to keep everyone's mind blocked. I could pretty much _feel_ the shield; it was like an elastic band that I had to stretch. Maybe that's why I can stretch it now. Phasing may have strengthened me, not only physically, but mentally as well. Maybe that's why I could stretch my shield out to other people now.

The stench of the bloodsuckers had assaulted my nose when we crossed the border, but it was even worse now. This was their turf, their land. We were in enemy territory. Great.

Sam, Jake, and I moved to the edge of the tree line, just out of view of the Cullen's. They were standing in a line with Carlisle and Esme at the middle, Edward on the other side of Carlisle. The males were protecting their mates, standing slightly in front of them.

I heard Alice as she spoke almost silently, no emotion in her voice. "They're here." The rest of the family glanced at her quickly, before turning back to their original positions. Jasper took Alice's hand in a comforting gesture as she continued. "All of our futures disappeared, they're here."

I looked at all of my pack brothers and then started heading out to face my old family.

Everyone's eyes focused in on the three of us as we emerged from the trees, then, a moment later, they were all staring at me. They were obviously uncomfortable that I was in between the two largest wolves in the pack.

We stopped far enough away that the stench wasn't as bad as it could be, but close enough that we could hear each other easily. I could tell that Jake was having a little bit of trouble keeping himself under control, so I took his hand in mine and gave it a little squeeze. Jake smiled at me and the shaking in his body reduced to a little shuddering.

"So, Bella, you're running with the mutts now." Started Rose. "Why am I not surprised?"

Edward hissed at Rosalie and Jake's shaking started to escalate again. I tugged on his hand, pulling him closer to me. He calmed down again and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me into his side to keep him calm.

Sam looked at me meaningfully, and I knew that it was time for me to tell them the truth.

I sighed heavily, effectively drawing the attention of everyone in the surrounding area. I looked directly at Alice as I spoke. "Guys, there is something that you need to know…"

_Jessica's POV_

"God! I can't believe her! She's so protective of that group of boys. Why can't any of the rest of us have a chance with a sexy man?" I listened to Lauren as she continued on her angry ranting as she glared at Bella and the guys across the parking lot. "I mean, first she has to take Edward and I know that he was totally about to ask me out before she showed up here. What did he even see in her anyway?" I rolled my eyes; I was starting to realize what a bitch Lauren really was. _I can't believe I was ever like her. The time I spend with Angela is really changing me, for the better._

"And now she's with Jacob. And I bet she's screwing the rest of those guys behind his back, and he would never know it, it's not like they are going to tell him and it's not like he can read their minds to find out." I don't think Bella would do anything like that, but Jessica continued on before I could say anything. "I mean, like, have you seen how close they all are. Bella goes around kissing them on the cheeks and she was holding the other hot one's hand earlier." _That's true, but she was going to talk to her ex, maybe it was just … comforting? _"And isn't she looking darker lately? I mean, she's seriously getting a fake tan to attract them? You can totally tell it's fake. She absolutely disgusts me."

I had to hold myself back from laughing at that. Actually, Bella was looking darker lately, but not like she was getting a tan, she looked more Quileute and I had heard she was transferring to the Reservation school after tomorrow, maybe she was Quileute. And her 'tan' did _not_ look fake; she actually looked like a real Quileute and her hair was a little bit darker. I think she was beautiful, but I still like men, I am not attracted to Bella Swan. Anyway, it was funny because Lauren had a tan and it was definitely fake. You could totally tell. She didn't look tan at all, she looked… orange. And that was disgusting.

Lauren continued with her ranting. "Ya know? She looks stronger; she's probably on steroids or something. Ugh. Why would a girl even want to look like that?"

I didn't think it looked bad on her; she made the whole muscle thing work.

"Why did I even listen to her anyway?" Lauren asked as the group left the parking lot. "I mean, it's not like she's going to hurt me. I'm not going to give up, Jacob wants me and I'm going to make sure that I get him. That boy is probably great in bed; I don't know why he's wasting his time on _Bella Swan._" She said her name like a curse.

_Jake's POV_

"The reason that I have been out of school and avoiding you and not at the hospital and why I smell like a werewolf… well, it's all because…" Bella looked up at me and I smiled reassuringly at her. "I… well, I am one." The Cullen's looked a little bit confused, so Bella clarified. "I phased into a wolf a little over a month ago. And then I imprinted on Jacob." She leaned into my side as we all analyzed the reactions the Cullen's were having to this information.

Uh Oh. They all looked kinda somewhere between mad and sad. Edward was definitely mad and glaring at me, as was the big guy. And the blonde vamp… the one with the southern accent, looked like he was in some kind of physical pain and seemed to be fighting a battle…. and loosing. I had a moment's notice when his eyes flashed at mine, full of rage before he lunged. I pushed Bella out of the way and Sam caught her. Then I phased just in time for the leech to hit me.

**So? What did you guys think? I hope you liked the little part of the encounter. So, now you know why I had you choose your fav vamp and wolf. Who ended up as Jacob (of course) and a tie between Emmet and Jasper, but I chose Jasper from the two for reasons that you will find out in the next chapter. Muahahaha. Okay, enough with the fake evil laughing.**

**Do I leave too many cliff hangers or are you guys okay with them?**

**Now, I was thinking about making Jessica a total bitch, like Lauren, but I decided not to. I mean, she isn't near as great a friend as Angela, but I didn't want her to be like Lauren. … who does some very stupid stuff in this fanfic… =P**

**So… let me know what you think in a review!**

**Also, I have started a new poll… it's about what my next fanfic should be. I have a couple of ideas, but want you, as my readers, to tell me what you want. I have already talked to one of you and thank you for your input, you know who you are. But let me know. **

**I already have the next chapter written, so no worries about waiting months. Sorry about last time. I really am.**

**I love you all sooo much! Lol! =)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry everyone. I sent this to my beta, but she still hasn't gotten back to me, so I'm just going to post it like this because it's been too long. I think she may have gotten a new e-mail address and forgotten to tell me. That happened once before during this story.**

**Don't forget to vote on my next story. The options are in the poll on my profile page. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_Bella's POV_

Jasper hit Jacob hard right after Jake phased. This caused them to tumble backward. My inner wolf immediately took over, telling me that I had to protect my mate. I allowed the anger to take over me as I threw myself toward the fight, phasing instantly in the air.

The voices of my pack brothers were confusing me and I put up a mental wall, blocking their voices from my mind as I entered the fight, ready to defend my imprint and get rid of the threat.

Jake and Jasper were both moving too quickly for human eyes to keep up, but I wasn't human, so I could see what was happening. I could see every muscle move in each of them.

For a split second, the two pulled away from each other, giving me barely enough time to jump into the fight, between Jake and Jasper. I turned to Jasper and let a wild roar escape from deep within my chest. He faltered for a moment, realizing that it was me, Bella. And that moment was all I needed to pounce and pin him to the ground, ready to tear him to shreds. But a part of me knew that this was Jasper, a part of me recognized him as the vampire that had once been a part of my family. I knew that he had reacted on impulse due to all the anger and violence that the others were feeling. He hadn't wanted to attack Jake, but the others had anger toward Jacob. And that anger had built in Jasper due to his gift. Everyone else's emotions had filled him and taken over his body.

So, rather than rip him apart and burn the pieces, I settled for roaring in his face one more time while pinning him to the ground and then sending him calming thoughts. Blocking everyone else from his mind. Wow. I didn't know that I could do that, my mind block thing must be growing. I would leave that for later though, for now I had to concentrate. I sent waves of calm to Jasper and he slowly relaxed enough to where I was comfortable letting him up. He thanked me and went back to his family. Alice latched onto him instantly and I smiled for a moment.

I looked over at Sam and motioned to the forest with my head, letting him know that I was going to go get some clothes. He nodded his understanding and sat on the grass to wait for me. I pushed Jake with my muzzle and we both went to get dressed. _Our clothes just had to explode_ I mentally sighed and then opened my mind to the rest of the pack.

Seth and Embry were in a state of shock. Seth had been worried for my safety. I mentally rolled my eyes. There was no way that Jasper was going to inflict any damage on me. Embry was surprised at how quickly I had phased. _That… was… awesome._ Was pretty much the extent of his thoughts as he replayed the little fight in his mind. It really was nothing, no one got hurt and it was over in a matter of seconds.

Jake and I found some clothes and I went far enough away that he couldn't see me before I phased back and got dressed. It's not that I don't _want_ Jake to see me naked. The rest of the pack has… multiple times. It's just different with Jacob because I want the first time for him to really see me naked to be when we finally decide to make love for the first time. I want it to be special.

When I got back to where everyone was waiting, I moved to Jake and gave him a quick kiss. "Are you alright?" I asked him.

"Your confidence in me is astounding, Bells." Jake rolled his eyes, but leaned down and placed a soft peck on my lips.

I remembered that we still had some things to tell the group. I sighed and turned around to face the Cullens again. Jake's arms wrapped around my waist from behind and he rested his chin on the top of my head. "Alright. So… since I phased," I began, not sure how exactly to say this without being blunt, "some things have changed about me. And I don't mean just my looks and personality."

"Edward." I said, turning to my ex vampire boyfriend. "You know how you can't read my mind?" I asked him. He nodded. "Yeah, well… that… ability has sort of expanded. I can block other people's minds as well now. Which is why sometimes you can't hear what the pack is thinking. And I can also make it so that you _can_ hear some of what I'm thinking. But not everything, only things that I direct at you."

I gave them a minute to take that in while I leaned back into Jake's chest.

After a minute, Alice looked up at me with sad eyes. "So, that's why you're switching schools."

It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway. "And moving." I added.

A frown appeared on her face and she came and gave me a hug. I hugged her back and assured her that it was all going to be okay. "I just need some time, ya know. We can still be friends, but it's not safe for me to be around you guys right now." I explained to her. She nodded her head in understanding before returning to Jasper's side.

With that, the pack decided that it was time to move out.

I went back to Sam's and got my bike then started heading home, ready for a good night's sleep before the shopping tomorrow, but then I remembered something. I changed course and made my way back to La Push.

Pulling up in front of the Clearwater's house, I shut off my bike and made my way to the door. It was only nine thirty, so I figured everyone was probably still awake. Seth answered the door and smiled at me. "Hey Mom. Haven't seen you in a while." He said sarcastically.

I smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Shut up, squirt." I teased him, ruffling his hair. "Is your sister home?"

"Yeah, she's in her room." He said, going to sit back down on the couch, where he was watching something on TV. He had patrol with Sam and Embry in about an hour, so I wasn't surprised he was awake.

I made my way up the stairs and went to Leah's room. I opened the door silently and then walked over to where she was sitting on her bed, facing away from the door. I smiled and snuck up behind her then pounced on her, sure not to hurt her but still surprise her.

She screamed and then turned to face me. I was laughing and she glared at me muttering "Jerk" under her breath.

After a minute I stopped laughing and sat up facing her. "So, I don't have long, because I really need to get home and sleep after patrol last night. I barely made it home in time to get ready for school this morning." I sighed. "Anyway, some friends and I are going shopping for prom dresses… and I was wondering if you wanted to come? You are going to prom right? I mean, it's your senior year and Paul's Junior… I mean, you have to go… I'm gonna ask Jake if he will go with me. I know it's coming up at the rez school because it's all Paul has been thinking about for so long. He really wants to ask you… anyway. So, _please_?" I made my eyes go huge and pleading, hoping she would come.

She laughed at my face before answering. "Of course I will, I was just thinking before you got here that I was really hoping that Paul would ask me to go with him, but he hasn't yet. It's only 3 weeks away. I'm seriously thinking about asking him rather than waiting for him to ask me." she said.

I smiled at her. "You should. Hey, we can ask our men together." She nodded her head and I started to get up. "Oh. And can you drive tomorrow? I would, but my truck can't go very fast and it really isn't all that comfortable to have four of us in there."

"Yeah, no problem. Should I meet you at school or….?"

"I'll come up here on my bike tomorrow after school and then we can pick up Ang and Jess at their houses." I said as I made my way out the door.

"Kay. Night." She said.

I smiled and said "night" back before making my way back downstairs.

"Be careful on patrol, hun." I said to Seth and gave him a kiss on the cheek then went home for a good night of sleep. Tomorrow was my last day of school at Forks High School.

I woke to the sound of my alarm going off. I groaned and hit the button to make the stupid thing shut up. Mornings are just horrible. I rolled out of bed and tiredly headed for the bathroom.

After a quick shower and brushing my teeth I headed back to my room with the towel wrapped securely around me. As I waited for my hair to dry, I looked through my clothes.

Looking outside, I saw that it was one of those rare sunny days in Forks. I smiled and reached for a pair of dark blue short shorts and a black cami with a white belt to go with them. Since we were heading up to Port Angeles right after school, I thought I'd do something crazy, so I grabbed a pair of white peep toe three inch heels. They had little fake diamonds embedded randomly at the part of the shoe that covered my toes. When my hair finished drying, which didn't take too long thanks to my werewolf body temperature, I left it curly and put it up in a simple pony tail. Then I straightened my bangs and left them hanging. I put on only some mascara and then headed downstairs for a quick breakfast.

I left a note for Charlie, letting him know where I was going to be so that he didn't worry when he got home. I grabbed my helmet and jacket then took off to school.

School passed by quickly and I didn't really pay much attention to it because it was my last day here and it wasn't like I had to do the homework that any of the teachers assigned. The Cullens were gone because of the sunlight.

I told Angela and Jessica that Leah and I would pick them up from their houses in about twenty-five minutes before going over to where Jake was waiting for me. He knew my plans for today, but still came by, which made me happy since I wouldn't be able to see him for the rest of the day. Of course, he didn't know why I was going to Port Angeles, just that I had to go shopping with the girls.

I gave Jake a lingering kiss before we both got on our bikes and headed to the Clearwater's house together. We got there and while Leah was getting ready, Jake and I made out for a little bit. I said bye to Jake and Seth as Leah and I ran out the door and made our way up to Forks. It only took ten minutes and I told Leah how to get to the girls' houses. Then we were on our way to Port Angeles.

Leah and the girls spent the ride getting to know each other a little bit. I wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation.

Leah pulled into the parking lot at the mall, getting a space that was pretty close which was surprising since it was a Friday.

We made our way into the mall and went around to various stores. By the time that we stopped to get some dinner, Angela and Jessica had their dresses picked out.

Angela had gotten a pretty light purple, strapless dress that was gorgeous on her. It had a flower print design on the skirt part, which poof-ed out like any good prom dress does, and the top part of the dress had white and dark purple beads in patterns of flowers sewn onto it. She looked absolutely amazing in it.

Jessica's dress was a pink, one-shoulder dress that, like Angela's, was floor length and poofed out at the bottom. The skirt of her dress was solid pink with an overlay of sparkly, see-through material. The top of her dress was sort of multicolored. The pink being the most dominate color. But there were also a few stripes of pale yellow and other pale colors every once in a while. She also looked great in her dress.

None of us had shoes or jewelry picked out yet and it was getting late, so we had to hurry up and find dresses for me and Leah.

Luckily, the next store we went to had something for both of us. Leah looked amazing in her sky blue dress. It flowed gracefully to the floor. Unlike Angela and Jess's, Leah's dress didn't poof out at the waist, but just flowed down. There was a dark blue belt at the waist. The neckline was circular and the sleeves covered half her arms. There were no patterns on the dress, but it looked absolutely amazing on her.

My dress was an emerald green, a little like Leah's, but the neck line on mine was lower and V-shaped. My dress had straps rather than sleeves. Each shoulder had two thin straps with gold colored, intricately carved flowers holding the straps together on each shoulder. And there was one other difference was that there was a single golden threaded flower on the dress. The stem started just a few inches below the belt on the left side and the flower, which was a rose, bloomed at my right breast. There was a single leaf on the stem.

Now it was time to start looking for shoes and jewelry. After about another hour and a half of searching, we all had a complete outfit. Angela was so excited to finally have a date tall enough for her to wear high heels.

After getting home really late that night, I headed straight to bed after a quick snack. I didn't even change out of my clothes, just simply collapsed onto my bed and I was asleep almost immediately.

I slept in until I felt something wet on my neck. Then I realized that there was an arm around my waist and my back was pressed up against a hard chest. Everything felt right in the world at that moment. Jacob. I kept my eyes closed and snuggled back into his warmth, sighing contentedly. Jacob laughed against my neck and then kissed my jaw.

**Hope you liked it. **

**Don't forget to vote on my next story, I'm almost done with my Mortal Instruments story, just the epilogue left, so I will be starting the next one pretty soon here. **

**Love you all!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello all! How have you been? I am SOOOOOOOO sorry for all my failure in updating in so long. I hope you forgive me…. again…. things have been insane with school and work and everything and now that it's break, I have had time to work on this. So. Yeah. It isn't extremely long, and it's un-beta-d. So I apologize for that as well. Not too much happening in this chapter, but some small, yet important things that will lead to other larger important things in the future. I will try to update before another week to help make up for everything, but I can't promise anything. **

**Well. I suppose that you would like to get to the story now, huh? Fine, fine, I'll give it to you…**

**OH! But first! New story starting soon. If you already voted, thank you much. If you're one of those people who HAVEN'T voted, go vote! Muahahaha! =P But I still luv you all. Especially for putting up with my lack of updating.**

**DISCLAIMER! : I do NOT own Twilight or any of the characters or themes from said book. **

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

_Bella's POV_

The last three weeks have been interesting. First, Quil phased about two and a half weeks ago, and then he imprinted on a kid. And when I say kid, I mean a 2 year old girl named Clair. It seems like it would be really weird, but he acts more like a big brother to her than anything else… for now. Later on, when she hits her teen years and Quil is still a teenager thanks to his werewolf-ness, they will probably start dating.

Leah and I asked Paul and Jake to prom…

-**FLASHBACK**-

Sam and Embry were on patrol today, so Leah and I could make our move and ask our men to prom. We were both really excited… and nervous. Even though I knew that they would both say yes, since I could be in their heads… and because they had imprinted on us… I was still nervous about it.

So, the four of us were at Jake's house, because I was making lunch for us, and you know werewolves – they can't turn down and invitation that involves food.

We were sitting at the table and Leah was just staring as she watched the three of us devour our food. Of course, I ate like a normal person with a napkin and fork, but the guys just shoved food in their mouths. I turned to look at Leah. "I think that we need to hold some kind of class on how to eat properly for all the guys." I announced. Leah smiled and I knew that she was already thinking it up. "And we better do it before the shop opens." I added.

Jake paused in his eating to look at me. "Oh, yeah. When is that gonna happen?" he asked.

I smiled. "Well, as soon as you guys fix up the place. The council gave us this cute little building. I love the location because it's a place where everyone can get to and it's also close to the beach, meaning that tourists will probably come by every once in a while. But it needs a lot of work, so I think that we could start on that in a couple days. Right now Sue and I are working on some of the designing and all the decisions that need to be made. Like, paint colors and the layout of the store." We were hoping to open the shop by the week after prom, but that all depended on how fast the guys worked. I would be helping with the heavy lifting and the hard work too, but mostly I would be helping Sue with organization and showing everyone what needs done.

After we finished our food, I brought out the chocolate chip cookies that Leah and I had made.

Leah looked at me with a questioning glance while the guys were distracted with taking as many cookies as they could shove into their mouths. I smiled and nodded my head once.

"Sooo…" I started.

"Hmmm?" the boys both replied while chewing.

Leah and I smiled at each other and then simultaneously said "Prom's coming up…" Both of their heads snapped up at that, causing Leah and I to burst out laughing at their faces.

"So," Leah continued after we stopped laughing, "we were wondering…"

"…if you guys wanted to go with us." I concluded.

Jake looked at Paul. "They beat us to it." he said.

Paul only nodded in response.

-**END OF FLASHBACK**-

So, now Leah and I were at her house. It was noon and we had just had lunch. And thanks to Leah, we were already getting ready for prom. I was braiding her long, dark hair into two thick braids that rested in front of her shoulders falling to her waist. I tied the braids off with normal black hair bands, but I then took two pieces of ribbon and tied them around the bands, allowing the ribbon to fall loosely a little further down past where her hair ended. The ribbon was a very dark blue with sky blue designs sewn into it.

Leah's shoes were these gorgeous sky blue shoes. Roberto Cavalli. I'm not really sure what that meant, but I guess it's the designer. They are Italian. And the heel is almost five inches! It's a good thing that Paul is a wolf or she would probably be taller than him tonight.

She also had a necklace made up of 13 ice blue topazes that created the look of a 6-petaled flower.

Then it was Leah's turn to do my hair. She definitely took her time and I found out why she thought we needed so much time to get ready. In the end my hair looked amazing though. She had taken it and braided the top half into three braids, then braided them all together. After that she wrapped that braid into a bun that spiraled around the back of my head. She pinned it up together with three bobby pins that had sparkly diamond flowers on the end of them. Two of the bobby pins had white flowers and she pinned them around the outside of the bun to keep it up, then she pinned the third on, which was a light green color into the very center of the bun which both kept the bun in place and looked amazing. The rest of my hair was just left down in soft curls.

My shoes were made by Nina, I think it was called Aldena. They were white satin sling-back, peep toe heels. And there was a satin rosette ornamentation on the toe of it. But it wasn't like an overdone rose, it was simple and elegant. I loved it. The heel (since Jacob is taller than me now, I can wear a heel) was about three and a half inches.

I also had a pair of diamond chandelier earrings to go with the outfit. They were flowers and the stem of the flowers curved around the flower itself, falling down past the diamond flower. Some diamonds fell on metal chains from the last four petals on the stem. I also had a necklace with diamonds as the chain. On each side, about an inch from the middle, an emerald sat. On the left the emerald was shaped like a clover, on the right, it was simply a circle. At the middle, both sides of the necklace ended with a teardrop shaped emerald, which were joined together at the top corners of a square emerald. From the square emerald, a small diamond fell and below it was a heart shaped emerald. Then another diamond and another teardrop emerald, upside down this time. Finally, the necklace ended with two small diamonds.

_Jacob's POV_

Paul and I were getting ready for prom along with Jared, Embry, and Quil. We were all wearing tuxes, which was extremely uncomfortable for us. We were so used to being dressed only in our shorts, and so _this_ was really weird for us.

Even though we were all uncomfortable and everything, we were excited about tonight. Personally, my wolf was ready to claim my mate and at first I had wondered if tonight might be the night for that to happen. But I knew Bella too well to believe that was possible. She wasn't one to go with the traditions. She wouldn't want her first time to be on prom night, it would probably make her feel a little slutty. I was fine waiting as long as my Bella needed me to wait, but I do wish that we could hurry up with it already. I know that she feels the need to claim me just as I feel the need to claim her. The rest of the pack are surprised that we have held off for this long. Paul already did it with Leah. And Bells and I have a much stronger connection than they do because we are both imprinted on each other. But we have held off this long and maybe that's a good thing. We don't need to rush into things too quickly, even if we do know that we will be together forever.

_Leah's POV_

Bella and I were sitting around chatting for the last hour before the guys would be here to get us. Kim would show up about ten minutes before them, so it was just the two of us for now. We were talking about inconsequential things when I couldn't take it any longer.

"So, do you think tonight will be the night?" I asked Bella, completely changing the subject and taking her off guard.

"The night for what?" She asked, honestly not having any idea what I was talking about.

I looked at her like she was crazy before rolling my eyes and replying. "The night that you and Jake finally have sex, of course!"

Her eyes widened a little bit and she stared at me before screaming "NO!"

I looked at her totally surprised at her outburst.

"I don't want to do it _tonight_! If I do, I will be just like every other girl out there that gives in and finally loses their virginity to some guy on prom night just because 'everyone else is doing it'. I'm not that girl and I'm not giving in tonight… no matter how much I may want to." she mumbled the last part so quietly that I barely heard it.

I sighed and chuckled lightly. "Okay. For a minute there you had me worried." I started ranting, not really paying any attention to what I was saying. "I thought that you didn't want to sleep with him. I don't know, maybe you were scared or worried that he didn't want to or you were scared about how it would be. Like, if it would be good or bad or weird or whatever. I don't know what goes through that mind of yours, I leave that to the pack. But the first time Paul and I did it—"

"WHAT!" Bella's head snapped up and she yelled the word, cutting off my ranting. Then I realized what I had just said. I guess she didn't know yet then…

"I… uh… I figured you knew…" I said.

"How would I know? You never told me!" there was a hint of desperation in her voice that I just didn't understand. I mean, I can understand shock, surprise, whatever, but this made no sense. She almost seemed, sad? But not just because Paul and I had done it first or because I hadn't told her… there was something else, I just don't know what.

"Well… You're in Paul's head. I would have thought you knew." I replied.

Bella shook her head. "I haven't run patrols with Paul in…. well… a very, very long time. When did this happen?"

"Oh, ya know, like, a couple days after we finally asked them to prom." I answered nonchalantly.

She was still staring at me.

"What? You want details?" I asked her, turning to face her and ready to start talking about it.

"No! No thank you. I don't need that. No details. None. Please no." she seemed to be begging that I didn't tell her about it.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. No details, got it."

The rest of the wait was slightly uncomfortable as we went back to talking about random things. We were both relieved when Kim finally showed up and we could talk to her about something without the fear of returning to our earlier conversation.

**Okay. So. Thoughts? Let me know. Review and all that stuffs….**

**Again, I will try to update within the next few days but no promises. On top of all the stuff I already mentioned about school and work and stuff, I have had a horrible case of WRITER'S BLOCK! It's terrible, everyone. I feel like every time that I do have a spare minute or two, I can't think of anything to write. But I will try. **

**Also, don't forget to vote on the next story.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Oh my goodness! I am SOOOOO sorry! I thought that I posted this a long time ago! But… apparently… I didn't. Sorry!**

**Sooo… Yeah. Here it is. I was going to post Chapter Sixteen tonight, but I guess I'm posting this since I missed it… Well. I will just post Chapter Sixteen on Monday… Sooo... Yup. After that everything will probably return to normal. (Hopefully without all the times when I don't post.)**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN (SORT OF)**

_Bella's POV_

_Okay… so Paul and Leah… had… sex… yeah. That makes sense… I mean, they are imprints, right? So, why not? Plus. I shouldn't care at all. After all. I have Jake. And it's not like Paul and Leah's sex life means anything to me. I was just surprised that they had done it so quickly… yeah. That's it. I mean. Jake and I haven't gotten there yet… so. That's what this is all about. Yup. _ Or at least, that's what I tried to convince myself as I sat staring at Leah.

"What? You want details?" she asked me. She looked ready to dive in and tell me everything about it. Which I definitely didn't want to happen… not at all.

"No! No thank you. I don't need that. No details. None. Please no." I knew that I was sort of begging her not to tell me anything, but I couldn't help myself… I really didn't want to know that!

"Okay, okay. Calm down. No details, got it."

The rest of the wait was uncomfortable until finally Kim showed up. We talked about little, inconsequential things until the guys got there.

Jacob Black. Mmmm… He looked so delicious all dressed up in a suit and tie. And I could tell just from the way he was standing that he hated it all. That is, until he looked into my eyes. Whatever he saw there definitely gave my man more confidence and he seemed happy and prideful.

Jake was looking at me with a look that made me want to throw myself at him and just devour him right there in front of everyone… but I didn't. I was holding onto that little string that was shouting in a high pitched, squeaky voice _"No! Don't do it! Don't give in!"_ and then another voice added to that, in a deeper, more seductive voice _"At least, not in front of them. Wait till you are alone."_ I smiled mischievously at that. Then I realized that everyone else could see that smile, so I quickly changed it to a normal happy and excited smile.

_Jacob's POV_

Oh. My. God. Bella looked so amazing tonight. She didn't seem as uncomfortable all dressed up like I would have expected her to be. I still hated this suit. How do businessmen wear these _things_ all day, every day?

My mental musings stopped when I saw the look of total lust in Bella's eyes as she looked at me. I saw her tongue instinctively dart out of her mouth to moisten her lips, effectively drawing my attention there. I wasn't uncomfortable anymore. Now that I knew that Bells liked me in the suit, I felt happy and proud.

A mischievous grin spread slowly across her beautiful lips as she looked at me with those lust-filled eyes. It was quickly swept away though, and a simple smile appeared on her face. I think I wanted that mischievous grin again. I kind of liked that side of my Bells.

_Bella's POV_

We got to the dance, which really wasn't anything too special. Or at least, I didn't think so, but everyone else seemed to like it. Pretty much the whole pack was uncomfortable, all except for Leah, but she really wasn't a part of the pack

**There you have it. It's really short, so… sorry. I'm also going to start posting my next story in the next couple of weeks. Sooo. Yeah.**

**Luv you all!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry, guys. My grandpa was in the hospital in ICU for a while there, but he is starting to do better now. He's still in the hospital, but we think that he will probably live, so I decided that I could start writing again.**

**And a late Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Years! I hope you all have a great 2011. I certainly hope and think that I will. There's going to be a lot going on for me this year, but I think that it will be good. And I look forward to getting back to reading all of your wonderful stories. Sorry that I haven't been on in so long, but I will be reading them and probably leaving reviews for you. I've missed you all sooo much, but am happy to be back.**

**I will probably take a chapter or two to get back into my rhythm, but it shouldn't take to long.**

**Alright. Now for the story…**

**WARNING! There is some slash and fem slash in this chapter, so… yeah. That's your warning. If you don't know what that means, SLASH is guy on guy action and FEM SLASH is girl on girl action. So if that bothers you… well. This isn't really anything very important. It's just a fun chapter except for the very end of it. But if you are uncomfortable reading that, then you can go on to the next chapter and I will have the important part posted at the top of Chapter Seventeen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters.**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

_Bella's POV_

The dance was nice. Aside from all the girls trying to get Jacob's attention, I had fun. Jake just about killed this one guy that started hitting on me at the food bar. If it wasn't for Paul and Jared pulling him away, he probably would have. I'm glad that I had Leah there with me too, because I almost did attack this one girl.

_Jake and I were dancing next to Paul and Leah when one of the girls that really hated me came up and started rubbing all up on Jacob. Jake looked really awkward, trying to push her away without hurting her. I didn't really care about her getting hurt or not. All I could think was that someone was trying to claim my mate from me, and that was not something that I would tolerate. _

_Long story, short, she left with minor injuries and a warning to never come near My Jacob again. I don't know if she will listen, but I gave her clear warning of what would happen if she didn't. She reminded me of Lauren. I mean, how many of those girls can there really be in this world! Isn't one enough to wreak havoc everywhere!_

Anyway.

The rest of the dance went well. And then we all headed back to Sam and Emily's house as a pack to celebrate. I'm not really sure exactly what we were celebrating, (maybe our success at not killing anyone or shifting in front of everyone) but it didn't really matter what we were celebrating, so long as I got to be with Jake.

"Embry!" I exclaimed when a water balloon hit the side of my head.

We had all changed into more comfortable clothes for the party. Right now we were outside and apparently Embry, Paul, and Jared decided that it would be a great idea to make water balloons and throw them at everyone.

Embry was laughing at me, I removed my hand from Jake's and lunged for Embry so fast that he didn't have time to react before I hit him. We wrestled for a while before I pinned him and grabbed a few of the water balloons and pelted them at him, Paul, and Jared. After that it turned into a full out water balloon fight that included everyone from the pack. Even Leah, Kim, and Emily got into it. Kim was shy about it though. She has such a gentle, shy nature. I'm sure that with work, Leah and I can change that. If only a little bit.

After we were all out of water balloons and soaking wet, we headed back inside. Emily made us stay outside until she brought us towels to try to dry off with. It wasn't very successful, but Emily had covered the couches with towels and blankets so that we didn't ruin her furniture. She also had snacks out, which really didn't last very long.

After that we sent Seth home because we were going to play truth or dare and we all know how _that_ can turn from childish to… well… Seth is too young to be here for that.

Jared started off. "Bella, truth or dare?" he asked.

I love this game and prefer dares. I very rarely do a truth. "Dare." I said, smiling evilly.

He took a moment to think then a smile of his own crossed his face. "Let Leah take off your shirt, but she has to use only her teeth." Leah and I looked at each other and laughed a little bit. That was nothing, but I was wondering if Jared got some kind of turn on watching us or something.

Leah took her time, putting on a show for everyone else. First she looked at me for a minute before licking her lips. We were both trying to keep from laughing our heads off, but everyone else didn't know that. She grabbed the hem of my shirt right above the button for my jeans and slowly started pulling it up. Eventually she got it off me and everyone was staring at us. Then we really did start laughing.

We had made a rule that all dares were permanent through the whole game, so I was stuck wearing only my bra and jeans for the rest of the game. Kim was next, she was so shy and innocent, so all she did was make Jacob kiss me. Then it was Emily's turn.

"Paul, truth or dare?" Emily asked.

"Dare." Paul replied with a face that was challenging her to do something bad.

"Okay. Go sit in Jacob's lap."

Paul awkwardly made his way over to Jacob and lowered himself into Jake's lap.

"Now how is this fair to me!" Jake started to complain. Sam also decided to pick on Paul, asking what his biggest turn on was.

"Girl on girl action." Paul stated simply, not caring what we all thought about that. Leah's eyes widened for a moment before accepting it. That would explain the intense way that he was looking at Leah and I when she pulled my shirt off.

The dare that Embry gave Sam had us all laughing. Embry dared Sam to switch pants with Emily, but Emily was wearing a skirt. So now Sam was sitting in the circle awkwardly, wearing a skirt that went to mid thigh on him and Emily was wearing Sam's pants, which were extremely huge on her.

"Truth or dare, Embry?" Paul asked.

"Dare." Embry replied. It seemed as though everyone was choosing dare. Of course, what else could you expect from a group of teenage werewolves? We didn't know any better. Paul went to the kitchen and came back with eight dish cloths. They were to be used as blindfolds. Embry put one on everyone except for Paul and then Paul put one on Embry.

The blindfolds worked great, I couldn't see anything, and so I knew that they would work for whatever Paul's plan was. Paul started moving us all around, one at a time, not letting anyone else know where each of us were. _I_ didn't even know where I was. Then he started talking.

"Okay. I am going to tap someone on the shoulder. Now when I do, that person is going to have to walk around until they find someone else, once they find the first person that they can, they have to make out with that person until I say to stop. No complaining."

I sort of wanted to object, and say that this really couldn't qualify as a dare for Embry unless he somehow set it up that way, but decided against it, as it would give my position away to whoever was "tapped".

I heard some movement in the room and could tell from the sound that whoever was tapped was coming in my direction, but they moved right past me. Then, about two minutes later, I could hear the sound of kissing. I heard someone else approach me and could tell by the smell that it was Paul. He put one hand over my mouth and removed the blindfold with the other. Then he turned me silently and I got a great view of Embry and …. And… SAM making out! That was a surprise. My eyes grew wide and I realized why Paul had his hand over my mouth, so that I wouldn't make any noise at my surprise.

Paul then went around and did the same to everyone else except for Sam and Embry. I took a glance at Emily and she didn't seem upset. Actually, she seemed just as amused as the rest of us were. Sam was still wearing Emily's skirt and Embry and Sam were definitely using some tongue in there. Well… not some… a lot!

Paul finally couldn't hold in the laughter anymore and told them that they could quit before bursting into a fit of laughter. Sam and Embry removed their blindfolds to find out who exactly they had just been kissing and jumped apart when they realized who it was. I'm surprised they couldn't tell from the scent of each other, but I guess they might have been a little…. Busy and preoccupied to think about that.

After we quit laughing, we moved back to our circle and Paul resumed his place on Jake's lap. It didn't go unnoticed that Embry and Sam put a pretty large distance between each other.

It was Leah's turn, she asked Emily. "Truth or dare?"

Emily was the first of the night to chose "Truth."

"Okay. Have you ever been skinny-dipping?" Leah asked, to which the answer was a firm _no_.

_My turn_, I thought and wondered who I could choose before picking Kim, who had yet to answer a question. "Kim, truth or dare?" I asked, knowing what she would choose and knowing what I would ask her.

"Truth." she said quietly but immediately, she didn't even take a second to think it over.

I smiled evilly at her and she started to look a little bit scared. Good. "What is the most sensual piece of clothing that you own, and why?"

Leah looked at me and smirked. Last weekend, the three of us had gone shopping and Leah and I had pulled Kim into a store and made her get a dress with a lace up closure in the front that pretty much exposed half of each of her breasts and the front of the thong that came with it.

Kim openly gapped at me before stuttering "Uh… ummm… I…I… Well… that thing… that you made me get last week." She blushed deeply and ducked her head.

Jared seemed interested. Kim never wore anything remotely revealing. Really, none of us did, it just so happened that all of the guys had seen me naked thanks to my being a werewolf and the pack mind. But Kim was a different story. She was so innocent, so when we told everyone exactly _what_ it was that we had had Kim get, well… let's just say that it definitely came as a big surprise.

"Alright…" Jacob said after a moment, breaking the silence. "Truth or dare, Leah?"

She surprised us by answering "Truth."

"Do you like it when a girl can turn you on?" Jake asked her.

"Uh. I've never been turned on by a girl…so, I don't know." She answered.

Jared seemed to get sudden inspiration and looked at Leah as well. "Truth or dare?"

Leah rolled her eyes at his excitement, but stated clearly, "Dare."

Jared's smile grew and he seemed very enthusiastic about whatever his little plan was. "Okay. You have to let Bella try to turn you on. Then tell us if you liked it." Yeah, I'm guessing that Jared is getting turned on by this. And so is Paul. We all knew _that_ after his little confession earlier.

So, I leaned over to Leah, still in my bra and started kissing the side of her neck. I could feel Jacob staring at me and kinda felt sorry for him. We had never slept together yet, and here he was watching me turn on another girl. So I tried to make this as quick and painless for him as I could. I rolled over into a position where I was straddling Leah's thighs and my mouth was still attached to her neck. My hands started rubbing up and down her thighs and then I moved them up to her torso and slid one hand under her shirt, drawing circles in her skin. I moved my mouth up the side of her neck to her jaw and nibbled lightly there before kissing her full on the mouth. I was definitely the dominate one in this situation, so I forced my tongue into her mouth. I just pretended that this was Jacob that I was kissing and let myself get a little carried away.

After a couple of minutes I realized that her breathing had picked up and she was definitely turned on. I rolled back into my spot with a triumphant smile on my face. Everyone else was staring at us and after a second Embry spoke. "That was the hottest thing I have ever seen in my life."

I glared at him and reached behind me to the couch, grabbing a pillow and throwing it directly at his head. "Hey!" he shouted when it hit him with enough force to knock him over. We all burst out laughing and got back to the game.

"So, Leah. Did you like it?" Jared asked.

"Not as much as you, Paul and Embry did." She said, motioning to the three guys that were sporting pretty good sized erections. We couldn't tell if Jacob was because he had Paul in his lap.

"Okay. Okay." Kim said. "Jared, truth or dare?" she asked. He chose dare and Kim got up and went to the kitchen. She came back with a full bottle of mustard and pushed it in his direction. "Eat it." she demanded. Jared looked at the bottle with a look of disgust.

"Do I have to?" he asked, sounded very unhappy about the idea. I would be too.

But Kim didn't waver. She glared at him and informed him that it was his punishment for making me and Leah do all the things that he had made us do so far tonight. I had a feeling that he wouldn't be setting us up like that anymore. However, he ate it. It was really gross to watch and I was dreading the next time I would phased with him because he would probably put me through some kind of torture by remembering the taste of it, shoving that thought into my head, I guess I would just have to shield him for awhile.

Then it was Emily's turn, who asked Jared what the first thing he would if he woke up invisible one day.

He replied with a simple. "I don't know. Probably try to find out what happened." Then he turned to look at Kim. "And I would be very worried that I would never get to be with my Kim again." he said with puppy dog eyes. He was trying to get forgiveness. And he got it. Kim kissed him sweetly on the lips once before Sam's turn.

Sam asked Embry, who chose truth.

"Okay. What's the stupidest thing that you have ever done because of a dare?" Sam asked him.

Embry immediately glared at Paul before turning back to Sam. "Kiss you." He said, and then resumed his glare at Paul.

Embry dared me to eat a piece of food off of Leah's tongue. Then Jacob got mad and asked why everyone seemed to want to watch Leah and I go at it. So, Embry changed it to Paul. Which was much more uncomfortable for the two of us, given our… history together. Of course, Leah and Jake still didn't know about that, so they didn't think too much of it, but everyone else stared at Embry and then looked between Paul and me.

Paul looked at me nervously before placing one of those miniature cupcakes on his tongue. Emily had brought it to him.

To make things even more awkward, Paul was still sitting on Jacob's lap and I was still topless. I got a little worried about how this would play out. But I moved over to where I was sitting in front of Paul and stuck my tongue out to get the cupcake. It wasn't working. I tried various ways of getting the cupcake without actually touching Paul, but none of them worked. Paul seemed to be getting tired of having his tongue stuck out with a tiny cupcake on it and everyone else was laughing at my futile attempts.

So I finally just decided to forget it and kissed Paul, sticking my tongue in his mouth and getting the cupcake. No one else notice that the kiss actually lasted much longer than it needed to, but I let my tongue wander around his mouth as if trying to get every last crumb. Paul had his tongue in my mouth as well and he still had an erection. It didn't help that I had to straddle his hips to reach his mouth. I had been sitting on top of him the whole time, but it was different now that we were actually kissing.

The actual kiss didn't really last very long at all, but it certainly lasted longer than it should have. Longer than it needed to. Paul was turned on, which was making me turned on as his denim clad erection pressed into my core. I decided that it was time for me to go back to my seat and so I did.

It was Paul's turn and after a couple of minutes his erection went down and he returned to normal. He asked Leah something, but I'm not entirely sure what it was. I was stuck thinking about what I was going to do. I really needed to get rid of this… this _thing_ going on with Paul and I. I should not have kissed him like that. It was a bad idea. And I had Jacob to think about. If he found out… what would he do? What would Leah do? I mean. None of us really thought about Paul and I anymore, so I don't think Jake knows anything about it, but that doesn't stop the fact that I still feel guilty about it. He should know. I should tell him. I just don't know how. And with that kiss… now I had my own problems to worry about. Paul and I had both imprinted. And we loved our imprints more than anything in the world. So why couldn't we stop this attraction that we had for each other?

Paul's name brought me out of my thoughts and I realized that Leah had just dared Jacob to turn Paul on without taking clothes off of either of them.

Jacob sighed and then started kissing the base of the back of Paul's neck. Paul was sitting cross legged in Jake's lap, so his legs were open and Jake started moving his hands on Paul's thighs, rubbing them.

It didn't take too long for a bulge to appear in Paul's pants and everyone started laughing.

"Shut up." Paul said. I'm still turned on from watching my imprint make out with Bella." He said, crossing his arms and looking at everyone defiantly. This just made everyone laugh more and cause Paul to glare at me, silently telling me that it was my turn.

I laughed just a little bit longer before asking Emily.

Emily chose truth and so I asked her, "If you had a chance to make anyone in this room your slave for a week, who would it be?"

She smiled immediately knowing her answer. "Paul." She said.

"Why me! You have Sam, make him your slave!" Paul shouted.

Emily started laughing and answered, "Because it would be so out of character for you. I mean, how many chances do I get to make you do everything I want you to do. How often do you do _anything_ that anyone wants you to do?"

I agreed with Emily and we all started laughing again. I think we were getting tired. Jake asked Sam to describe the funny side of his first intimate experience.

"Well." Said Sam, "I guess that it would sort of count as an intimate experience. I was in middle school and it was during lunch. We were in a hallway and she just randomly pushed me up against the wall and started kissing me. Then she put her hand down my pants and started jacking me off. Then the assistant principal walked down that hallway and… let's just say she wasn't too happy about the whole thing."

We all laughed as Sam blushed the tiniest bit. We eventually realized how late it was and all headed out. Jake and I went back to his house.

When we got there, Billy was already asleep, but he trusted us not to do anything bad. We headed to Jacob's room and he tossed me onto his bed before pouncing on top of me and kissing me. The kiss wasn't gentle and soft. It was passionate and needy.

"You have no idea," he said after the kiss, "how bad it was to watch you kissing other people tonight. I've wanted you so bad for so long and watching you get that intimate with other people…" he shook his head and dived back down for another long kiss.

I wasn't going to give up my virginity tonight, but maybe I could pleasure him without doing that.

I rolled us over so that he was under me and started kissing down his neck. He still wasn't wearing a shirt, so I didn't have to worry about that. I kissed down his strong chest, stopping every once in a while to suck or nip on certain parts of his skin. When I got to the button on his pants, I slowly let my tongue lick under it, across the front before opening the button and unzipping the pants. I pulled them off of him and looking at his length for a moment before placing a sweet kiss at his base.

He was definitely aroused and I really didn't know what I was doing. The little I did know was from the pack mind, but I tried anyway. I licked the tip and then put as much of it in my mouth as I could. Thanks to me being a werewolf, I didn't really have much of a gag reflex, so I could fit a lot of it in. Jake's breathing was getting heavy as I did this. I started moving my mouth on him, pulling him in and out of my mouth. He grabbed my hands and directed them to his balls, which I started rolling around in my hand and squeezing gently. His breathing was more rapid and his hips began to buck up to my face. It was a slightly awkward situation for me since I had never done anything like this before, but I was glad that I seemed to be pleasing him.

Suddenly his movements stopped for a second before he started shaking and he squirted streams of come into my mouth. Not sure what to do, I swallowed it and removed him from my mouth after a minute. I kissed my way back up his body and curled up into his chest. His breathing was still a little off, but it slowed down and returned to normal quickly. He kissed the top of my head and whispered "Thank you" to me before we began to drift off to sleep.

I curled up further into his chest before falling asleep. The last thing that I thought before I drifted off to sleep was how I hoped that life would stay this way. But I had a feeling that there was something around the corner that would threaten to tear everything apart.

**So, this was more of a fun chapter, up until the end there… hmmm… I wonder what this "feeling" that Bella is having might be… I guess that we will just have to wait and see.**

**I will be starting my next story here pretty soon. I have a few chapters written, but I don't want to start it just yet, so in a few weeks it will be up. There are still quite a few more chapters in this story, so don't worry, it's not near over yet.**

**Luv you all! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone? How is your new year going? It's been over a week since 2011 started!**

**Oh! And I can't believe that I haven't told you yet! My beta changed her penname to LunaAva… soo. Yeah. Thanks to my beta for all the great work she does on this story for me!**

**Alright. So I know you are all wondering what is going to happen next, so I guess I'm not going to bore you with a long note this time… sooo… here is Chapter Seventeen! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters used from the books.**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

_Previously:_

_I curled up further into his chest before falling asleep. The last thing that I thought before I drifted off to sleep was how I hoped that life would stay this way. But I had a feeling that there was something around the corner that would threaten to tear everything apart._

_Embry's POV_

Jared and I were patrolling the area around La Push after taking over for Paul and Sam. We had been out here for about two hours and I hadn't been able to get around to the area around the beach yet, so I headed over there. I had just gotten to the forest near First Beach when I came across the most terrible scent in the world: VAMPIRE.

Due to patrolling the border, we had all become accustomed to the stench of the Cullens', but this was different. This smell was even more sickly sweet than the smell that they had, meaning that this scent had come from a human-drinker. The scent was also very strong, meaning that it was recent. Jared, having read my mind, was on his way over to me and I started howling to alert the others. Soon the whole pack would be here.

_Bella's POV_

Everything was going great in the tribe. The restaurant would be opening in just a couple days and he boys were all safe. We all got closer every day, becoming more and more like a family. They had all been so helpful in getting the building fixed up. From moving stuff in and out of the place to sweeping and painting walls, they had all been there as much as they could for us. It was great. The restaurant looked awesome and we had an awesome kitchen that could be seen over the counter. There was a wonderful clear counter where I could display my deserts and a little booklet that I had put together that people could look through when ordering something to come and pick up later. We were all very excited about the whole thing.

In fact, the only bad thing that had happened in the last few weeks was that Quil had phased. It wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing, because he had been really upset that we weren't able to hang out with him anymore and mad at us because he didn't know why. Ultimately, that was what actually made him phase in the end. But this wasn't a life that any of us would wish on anyone else.

I was at the restaurant going over some things with Sue about our first day when a piercing howl broke through the quiet of the outside. Our conversation ended abruptly and I was running out of the shop to the woods right behind the shop. That was another thing that had drawn us to this building, the back door lead right into the woods, meaning it would be easy for us to get out quickly if we needed to. I stripped as I ran and phased, making my way to where the howling was coming from.

Once the whole pack was in wolf form, Embry started to explain the situation to us.

_I was patrolling when I came across this scent. There's a leech here somewhere. It's recent, within the past couple of hours and I think that there might be more than one. It seems like the trail leads off in two different directions. I haven't followed it yet because I wanted to wait for everyone else._ Embry told us as we began to arrive where he was waiting.

_Good job, Embry._ Sam said. _Alright everyone, spread out. Jared, Paul, Embry, you three come with me. Jake, Bella, take Seth and Quil and follow the other trail._ Then Sam turned to Quil and addressed him directly. _Quil, I know you are new to this, but Jake and Bella will take care of you. Follow your instincts and whatever you do, LISTEN TO JAKE AND BELLA._ The end was an Alpha command, which made us all whimper a little bit, but then we followed Sam's orders.

I followed the trail with Jake, Seth, and Quil close behind me. We didn't move too fast, not wanting to miss anything, but we still moved quickly enough and I was surprised when we had been following the trail for about an hour and a half and still hadn't found anything. Through the pack mind, I could see that Sam, Paul, Jared, and Embry were also still following their trail. I was beginning to worry about how far apart we were from each other. our trail had turned to head south as theirs had done the same, but north. If one of us were to find the leeches, it would take a long time for the other group to get to them.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Sam's group ran into a clearing. Two vampires were on the other side of the clearing. The woman had red-orange hair that looked like a fire bordering her face in long curls and she reminded me of a cat, a fierce cat. She stood slightly behind a male with dirty-blonde hair cropped short and pulled back in a short ponytail. He seemed to have a little bit of muscle, but overall was average looking. I didn't let that fool me though, I knew that if he wanted to, he could pull a full-grown tree from its roots without exerting very much energy.

Our half of the pack had turned around and we were now heading as quickly as we could to Sam's group. We didn't make it far before another vampire dropped down from the canopy of trees above us, landing directly in front of us, halting our forward movement. It was all a trap. They had purposefully separated us and now we were divided and not as strong as we would be as the whole pack.

This vampire was tall and had olive skin and dark hair. Like the others, his eyes were a burgundy that suggested he had 'eaten' recently. "Hello." He spoke with a French accent and a smirk crossed his face.

The four of us growled at him, not really wanting to chit-chat, before attacking. In a part of my brain, I was still watching as the rest of the pack fought with the two other leeches.

The one we were fighting was fast, but with the four of us working together, it didn't take long for us to rip him to shreds.

My attention was back on the battle going on in the clearing. _Jake. Gather the pieces and burn them._ I instructed as Quil, Seth, and I ran as quickly as we could to aid our packmates. I felt the familiar shimmer in the air as Jake phased out and did as he was told. As we ran for the clearing, jumping over fallen trees and swerving around standing ones, all I could thing was _Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul._ I was so worried that we would be killed. I knew that I was worried about the rest of the pack as well, but I was focused on Paul, watching his every move through his eyes and through Sam, Jared, and Embry's eyes as well. I knew that I had no right to be so over focused on him, but I was. I briefly thought about what a good thing it was that Jake was phased out right now before my thoughts returned to Paul.

We were getting close to them, I could hear the sounds of the fight going on just a couple minutes away. And that was when the red headed one happened to make her move. The pack had been focused on the male who seemed more of a threat, and didn't notice until just a second before the female attacked. She kicked Paul, who went flying into a tree. He got up, in pain, and moved to attack her, but he had injures some ribs and was caught off guard again as she threw him into another tree.

_PAUL! PAUL!_ I was screaming so loudly in my head that I was sure even the creatures outside my head could hear and understand me.

Suddenly I couldn't see through Paul's eyes anymore. I started to panic as I pushed myself harder, moving faster than I had ever run. Through Embry's eyes, I could see that Paul had phased back human and was lying on the ground in pain. _At least he's alive._ I thought as I finally burst through the trees into the clearing. The two leeches were surprised at my arrival and when Quil and Seth followed me not long after, they retreated, running into the forest in the opposite direction. I didn't care right then, I had to be with Paul. I ran full speed to his side and phased instantly next to him. I didn't care that I was naked in front of the whole pack, I didn't care about anything except for Paul. Jake came through the trees not a minute later and started moving toward me. I briefly wondered how long he had been phased and how much of my thoughts he had heard, but then Paul moved his arm and touched my leg and I was distracted.

I knew that I needed to phase back to get orders from Sam, so I did. Sam didn't waste any time. He had already started following the scent of the leeches that had just left. _Bella, Quil, get Paul back to the __Rez__. Everyone else, you're with me, let's – _I didn't wait to hear anything else, I was phased back and leaning over Paul again.

Everyone else was running out of the clearing. Jake briefly touched his nose to my back before taking off after everyone else. Quil was just standing there in wolf form awkwardly. I spoke to him without turning to face him. "Go find some clothes for the three of us, there's probably a stash not too far from here."

He obliged and I was left alone with Paul.

I leaned over him again, worried about whether he was okay. He looked fine, but I knew that he was in a lot of pain from his ribs being injured. His eyes were slightly opened as he looked up at me and I reached out a hand to stroke the side of his face and run through his short hair. His eyes closed again and he sighed.

Then, for some reason that I cannot fathom, I lowered my body so that I was laying slightly on top of him, but not putting any pressure on him and I kissed him.

**Oooo… now what? So, I explained this in a message to a couple of you guys, but I feel that maybe it would be best to go over it for everyone. The relationship between Bella and Paul may seem stupid and you may be thinking that because they both have imprints, that they shouldn't feel anything toward each other. So let me clear some stuff up. Although they did both imprint, they are still hanging onto each other. Yes, it hurts them, but they are still doing this because, let's face it, sometimes we break up with someone, but still want to be with that person in some ways. I wanted to make the characters as relatable as I could (despite the fact that most of us don't turn into giant wolves, and if you do… well. That's interesting. Show me how!) and this is just part of what makes them more relatable. They didn't separate completely willingly, the imprint made it happen, so they still have feelings for each other. I just happen to be writing where they act on those feelings even though it hurts them. The next chapter will have more answers for you.**

**So, if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer you.**

**HEY! Sooo… I came across an AMAZING story last week. Sooo… I just wanted to tell you guys to check it out. If you like Bella/Jake (which you must since you are reading this) you HAVE to read this! It is probably my favorite FF story that I have EVER read. Although I am afraid that I will lose some of you to her, you still have to read Virgin Territory by Ynotjacob. It's an AH story, which bothered me at first, but I fell in love almost immediately. Sooo… Go check it out… NOW… well. No, finish reading this first…**

**My next story will be coming up probably at the end of the month, but don't hold me to that, it depends on a lot of things. And if you are interested in beta-ing the story for me, please let me know as soon as possible. It's a Twilight story and if you are interested, tell me in a review or send me a PM and I will tell you more about it so that you can decide if you want to beta it or not.**

**Thank you!**

**Luv ya all!**

**Okay! NOW go check out Virgin Territory by Ynotjacob! It's amazing, I promise! GO! NOW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry that it has taken so long… you see… my grandpa died… then there was the memorial. Soo… yeah. Luckily I already had most of this written and I just had to push myself to finish it, then my beta never got back to me… I'm not really sure what is going on there, so… yeah. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up on time, but I'm still grieving, so… yeah.**

**Alright guys, this is where it all comes crashing down (Paul and Bella). It should get interesting. Sooo… yup.**

**This should also answer any unanswered questions on the matter. So. There ya go…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or anything affiliated with the books.**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

_Bella's POV_

Our lips only touched briefly, but I felt a pang of guilt rush through me in that moment. From the look on Paul's face, he had felt the same thing I did. It was obvious that neither of us had let go of the other completely even though we had both imprinted on others. We both knew that we needed to say good bye to each other, and we knew that it wasn't going to be easy but we had to, for ourselves and for Jacob and Leah.

It was time.

Really, we should have said good bye a very long time ago, but now would have to be good enough. I could see in his eyes that he knew exactly what I was thinking and that he agreed with me. But I decided that actually speaking it out loud would be a good idea.

"We can't keep holding onto this, Paul." There was no question of _what_ we were holding onto or _why_ we were holding onto it. This relationship was one of the _human_ parts about us. it was not brought on with imprinting as our other relationships were. We weren't forced into this, we had a choice on this, and we had chosen. Even though I loved Jacob before imprinting, it just wasn't quite as human as being with Paul was. Maybe because Paul was a mistake and humans make so many mistakes. After all, making mistakes is a huge part of being human. Maybe that's why I was holding on, I don't know. But no matter what it was, this thing with Paul and I had to end. Now.

"I know, Bella." He said. "I don't want to, but I know that we need to. I have to let you go. Not just for us, but for Leah and Jake." He obviously shared the same thoughts on the matter that I did, and for that, I was glad.

We stared at each other for a minute before he reached up an pulled my head down and our lips met again. This wasn't a slow kiss, this one was filled with passion and everything that we felt for each other. His tongue didn't take the time to brush along my lips in request of entrance. He just shoved it in my mouth and I followed suit. The kiss was rough as our tongues fought together in a passionate dance. We explored each other's mouths for what we knew would be the last time. This kiss wasn't a random kiss. This was our final good bye. We were letting go of each other and this was just the way that we chose to do so.

We were both so wrapped up in the moment that we hadn't noticed Quil returning. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

_Quil's POV_

I had to go pretty far before I found two pair of pants and a t-shirt for Bella and I was on my way back now. I walked into the clearing and scanned it for Paul and Bella. When I found them, I wasn't sure what to think. I mean, they both have imprints who they are completely in love with, yet here they are, butt naked laying on the forest floor, making out. I'm not sure how long I stood there, stunned, staring at them until I came back to my senses. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" I yelled. They immediately sprang apart from each other, a look that I couldn't quite decipher on both of their faces.

Bella's expression changed quickly. Her eyes widened in surprise and then her face showed guilt. I wasn't sure if it was guilt at making out with someone other than her imprint or guilt at being caught, but it was definitely guilt. "Quil," She started, but I cut her off.

"I don't even think I want to know." I said, throwing the clothes at her. Bella quickly threw on the shirt and began moving back over to Paul with the pants. "Just make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"It won't." was her quiet and pained reply. "It's never going to happen again. That was a good bye kiss." She whispered as she began pulling the pants onto Paul's leg, seeing as he couldn't do it himself.

"Look. I'll try to keep this between the three of us, but you know that I'm new at all this stuff." I told them. It seemed obvious that this had been going on for a while and I'm not sure how they managed to keep it from the rest of the pack, but she said that it was over and I decided that it would probably be best to just leave it at that and not make a big deal out of the whole thing, but being new meant that I wasn't so great with controlling my thoughts.

I looked back over to Bella, who had just lifted an injured Paul into her arms. It wouldn't take too long for Paul to heal, probably just a day or two thanks to our werewolf healing, but right now it probably hurt like hell, so Bella was being as careful as possible as we started walking back to the rez. We were going to take him to the spare room at Sam and Emily's place.

It was a long walk since Bella couldn't move too quickly while carrying Paul and she had to stay in human form. It was also an extremely awkward walk, due to what I had just witnessed between the two of them.

Paul had is eyes closed and it took me a moment to realize that he was asleep. Bella, who wasn't having any trouble carrying a full grown man, was biting her lower lip and looking anywhere but and me or Paul.

It still took me a while to get used to seeing Bella lift things so easily. She wasn't even having any trouble carrying Paul all the way back to Sam's house without any help. I knew that she was a werewolf, but it was still strange. Not only because she was a girl, but because she didn't look like she had that much muscle. I mean, don't get me wrong, the girl definitely had muscle. It just didn't look like she had enough to carry a full grown werewolf so easily. It's a good thing that Sam's house is right off of the woods, because it would be really strange for people to see Bella carrying Paul like that through the rez.

We went in the back door and Bella made her way to the spare room where she placed the sleeping Paul on the bed and then promptly fell over onto it as well. She was asleep in a matter of seconds on the opposite side of the bed that Paul was.

_Leah's POV_

I had just gotten a call from Quil who told me that the pack had found a couple of leeches in the area. "The thing is…" Quil continued, "well, Paul got hurt. I mean. He's going to be okay, but, I thought you should know. We brought him back to Sam's and…" I didn't hear any more after that, I was already out the door and on my way to Sam's house. I didn't think about the fact that I had left Emily sitting alone in my living room, no doubt wondering what the heck was going on. I was in the car and on my way to Sam's, ignoring speed limits and everything. The rest of the pack had just come out of the woods when I jumped out of the car.

_Sam's POV_

Leah had shown up just as the rest of us were coming out of the woods. We hadn't caught the leeches, but we had gotten close. They jumped off a cliff into the Pacific. They have the advantage in water since they don't have to come up for breath.

Leah glanced at us briefly and then continued on her way toward the house, mumbling angrily. "I'm going to fucking _kill him_ for letting himself get hurt an then I'm going to kill those mother-fucking leeches for hurting him." She continued mumbling similar things. I noticed that her body as vibrating, much like it would if she was going to phase.

Normally I wouldn't have been worried about the possibility of her phasing because she is a girl, but ever since Bella phased, I kind of decided that anything is possible. And I did _not_ want anyone phasing in my house. I made my way to where she was quickly, before she could get to the front porch. I still wasn't sure how this was going to all play out as I stepped directly in front of here, effectively halting her forward progression. Her shaking seemed to increase as I stood before her.

"Get out of my way, Sam." She ground out between clenched teeth.

"I don't think so, Leah." I replied calmly. "You need to calm down before I let you in my house."

She seemed to be getting angrier. "I need to see Paul!"

"I don't think that's a good idea." I continued. "You can't see Paul right now."

Her shaking increased and then she exploded. Leah's wolf was small and grey. She was definitely smaller than the rest of us and she had the same shape that Bella had. She wasn't as many as us guys, she was leaner. Bella was still far bigger than Leah, which was to be expected since Bella was the Alpha female. And Leah really didn't look all that menacing.

I quickly phased to help her out.

_Leah…_ I began.

She harshly interrupted me. _Get out of my head, Sam! I already know everything, I don't need you to explain it to me and I don't _want_ you to. so if you absolutely _must_ have someone in my head right now, get someone else. Anyone else._

_But Leah…_ I tried again, but she cut me off, growling at me, ready to attack. _I am your Alpha, you will _not_ attack me._ I ordered. I didn't use the Alpha voice, but I was just hoping that she would listen to me.

_Go ahead and order me, Sam. Go ahead and give me a fucking order. Because I am _not_ going to willingly sit here and listen to you. I don't need that right now, I need to see Paul._ Leah was stalking toward me now. I really didn't want to give her an order.

_Okay, Leah, _I sighed reluctantly, _hold on._ I made my way into the trees to phase back to human. When I came out, Leah was watching my every move unhappily. I moved to where the rest of the pack was standing, still waiting for this whole thing to work out. I stood by Jacob and talked to him. "Okay, Jake. She won't talk to me, so I need you to go take care of that. Other than Paul and Bella, you are probably her first choice. Obviously, Paul and Bella can't talk to her right now, so, it's all on you." I waited for his nod of understanding before the rest of us moved into my living room to wait for them. We decided to leave Bella and Paul alone so that she could take care of him without us interrupting.

_Jake's POV_

I phased into my wolf form and asked Leah to come into the forest with me so that no one would see us. We didn't need the secret getting out just because of this.

_Look, Jake, I don't need a lecture or anything._ She began, wanting to see Paul.

_I know. I'm just going to teach you how to phase back for now so that we can go see Paul and Bella_. I told her.

It didn't take too long for me to teach her to phase back to her human form. While I was getting one of the shirts that Bella had hidden, she phased back, I threw the shirt down to her from the tree and waited for her to put it on. I had not even seen Bella without any clothes on, except for earlier today and through the packs mind; and I really didn't want to see Leah that way first. The rest of the pack had seen my imprint that way long ago, which to be completely honest, bothered me, a lot. I knew that they thought about her in _those_ ways and she also knew about their thoughts, but she wasn't too concerned. She knew that they would never actually make any moves on her. After all, they were my brothers and they would respect the imprint above all. Or, at least, that's how it is supposed to be, but, with her being my imprint, I was so protective of her that I couldn't completely believe that they would leave her alone, even if I knew that they would.

I had been caught up in my thoughts and had not realized that Leah was impatiently waiting for me on the ground. I jumped down from the tree and Leah and I headed back toward Sam's house.

Everyone except for Bella and Paul were sitting around the living room eating junk food and watching TV. I was wondering where Bella was and if she was okay.

Seemingly reading my mind, or maybe my thoughts were simply written clearly on my face, Sam smiled at me and tilted his head, indicating that she was in the spare room down the hall.

Leah and I made our way to the guest bedroom, where our imprints were supposed to be. I smiled lightly when I saw Bella laying on the bed, fast asleep. That is, I smiled until I noticed that Paul was also asleep on that same bed. I turned to see how Leah felt about this, but all I could see was the look of a wolf who had just imprinted. I looked back down to see that Paul had opened his eyes and was looking directly into Leah's.

I felt like I was intruding on a private moment, so I turned my attention back to Bella. I moved to the bed and gently gathered her up in my arms, deciding to take her to the Clearwater's house. I can let Leah and the rest of the pack catch Paul up on Leah's phasing.

**There ya go… **

**I also think that I am going to be giving up on my beta since I have been having trouble with that, so if you want to be my new beta please let me know. Thanks!**

**Luv ya all!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone! How are you? I had an awesome night and can't wait till tomorrow night! Yay! Sooo….**

**Here ya go…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters**

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

_Leah's POV_

Once upon a time there was a girl who got her heart ripped to shreds by her fiancé. He left her for her cousin. But then things started to get better. another man came along who loved her completely and always would. She got a best friend who became like a sister and a good friend in her best friend's boyfriend.

Then reality hit and everything fell apart instantly.

-**FLASHBACK**-

Paul and I had been talking for a while when Sam called a meeting to let me know what had happened with the vamps.

We all gathered in the forest in our wolf forms and I couldn't help but notice that Bella wasn't there with us.

_She's at your house, I couldn't bring myself to wake her._ images of Bella sleeping peacefully filled my mind as Jacob thought about her.

_It's okay. She doesn't have to be here for this anyway._ Sam said. I still wasn't very happy about having him in my mind.

The guys filled me in on what had happened and I saw the battle from many different views and then what had happened after they left Paul, Bella, and Quil.

When they got to them coming back, I wanted to know what had happened with Paul, so we all turned our attention on Quil for his side of the story. He seemed a little uneasy about telling us.

_Quil?_ Sam asked. _What happened?_

Images began to fill our minds. It started off with Quil's point of view of the fight with the dark-haired leech before going into when the rest of the pack left after the redhead and the blonde one. Quil was sent to go get clothes for the three of them. he was still a little hesitant, but was beginning to relax and let the memories fill his mind.

I was suddenly hit with the image of my boyfriend and my best friend laying on the forest floor, making out.

I really couldn't believe it, I think that I was in shock, that is, if wolves can go into shock. I noticed that Jacob was in a similar state as I was as his mind flashed back to us finding them in the bed in Sam and Emily's house earlier.

Our minds were assaulted again, but this time with images coming from the whole pack. Memories of Paul and Bella at meetings, of Paul and Bella in the forest, during Bella's training… they just kept coming up until she imprinted on Jake.

Jake snapped out of his shock before I did. _What is going on?_ He asked the pack. No one answered him. No one would look at either of us. _I said, what the hell is going on!_ He yelled, full of rage.

_Well, we figured that Paul and Bella had already told you guys…_ Sam trailed off, not finishing his thoughts.

Embry finished for him. _They… before the imprint, of course, … used to be together. _He stopped and must have heard the huge question mark in our heads, because he continued. _Anything else, I think that you need to talk to them about personally. We were pretty sure that it all ended with the imprinting, but… well. I guess we really don't know anything, maybe it was a mistake or…_

_Mistake!_ Jake interrupted. _That sure as hell didn't look like any kind of mistake I've ever heard of!_

I could tell that Jake was going to keep on with this. _Come on, Jake. Let's go talk to them about this._ I urged him away from the group and we made our way to my house to talk to Bella first.

-**END OF FLASHBACK**-

Jake and I had just gotten to my house and Bella was asleep on my bed. at first a smile crossed my face at how peaceful my best friend looked… then I remembered why we ere here and my kind feelings left me.

Jake sighed and sat next to her on the bed. "Bells, wake up honey." He was lightly shaking her shoulders.

Her eyes flew open almost right when Jake said her name. "Jake." She said as a smile instantly lit up her face and she leaned in to give him a kiss. Jake resisted though and stood up next to me. "Jake? What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and looking at the two of us.

"We heard something today." I began. "Or, rather, we _saw_ something in Quil's thoughts." I waited for her to catch up. It didn't take long before realization dawned on her face and then silent tears began to stream down her face. I could see Jake fighting with himself to go to her, but he held his ground.

"It's not how you think. I know we should have told you, but… I was so scared of what would happen. I didn't think anything like today would happen, but it really wasn't what it looked like. We were getting closure, is all. We were saying goodbye. We never got to before, and so we were still holding onto those feelings, but… we are done now. That was goodbye and we both knew it." Despite the tears, her voice remained strong and full of honesty. What she was telling us was true. Now I needed to go talk to Paul. Even though it's over now, they still never told us anything about it and it wasn't going to be easy to get past that, although, the imprint would help out.

_Jacob's POV_

Leah left to go talk to Paul and Bella started moving around the room, gathering up her things. I wasn't sure what exactly she was doing. "Bells." She stopped and looked at me. "Come here." I patted the bed and she came to sit next to me. "What are you doing?" I asked her, motioning to the room.

"Leah is going to need some space from me for a while, for obvious reasons; just like I'm guessing you are going to want some space from Paul." I nodded, confirming this. "Well, so I'm going to move out for a little bit, until this whole thing gets better. I guess I'll go live with Sam and Emily or something."

I really wanted to ask her to come live with me, but I wasn't really sure how she would take that, so I just helped her move her stuff to Sam and Emily's after getting permission from them.

_Bella's POV_

After all my stuff was moved into Sam's spare room, I settled in for a much needed night's sleep. Jake left earlier and I hadn't seen or heard from him or anyone else since then. Luckily, Paul had already gone back home when I got here and Emily had no problem changing the sheets. The room still smelled like him, though. I'm not sure how long I will be here, but I'm not sure how long I can stand being surrounded by his scent.

I drifted off to sleep, wishing that my life could have been more normal.

Waking up the next morning was _not_ fun, really all I wanted to do was stay in bed and hide from reality and the world for as long as I could get away with it. But, of course, I couldn't do that. I had responsibilities. And if I didn't hurry, someone would come and get me. I got dressed quickly and left the house before anyone else was awake, the deep breathing from the other room assured me of this. I made my way into the forest and phased before running to a familiar spot.

There was a little clearing in the forest and I always went there when I needed to think or be alone. I'm not sure if any of the others know about it, I had accidentally stumbled upon it one day not too long after I finished my training. It was always nice and quiet up there. I felt so in tune with nature when I spent time up there.

Knowing that someone would be starting patrol soon, I phased back to my human form and continued the rest of the way on two legs. It didn't take long to get there and once I made it, I settled into the middle of the clearing, laying down in my dark green sundress and closing my eyes. There was a little bit of sun out today and my body soaked up the warmth. Even though I run at a health 108 degrees, the sun still feels warm to me. It may not be physical warmth that surrounds me, but some other kind of warmth. I think that, maybe I want to draw warmth from the sun, like strength and love, and, so, I do.

I had been so distracted in my thoughts that I didn't hear the footsteps approaching me.

"Bella?" The sound of his voice had me shooting up, completely alert and staring into those oh-so-familiar eyes.

**So… what do ya'll think?**

**I would love to continue this, but I have a party to get to… a party that includes a boy… that I like. And who is sending mixed signals lately. Don't you just love it when they do that?**

**Anyhow… Luv ya all!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I'M BACK!**

**Okay. I know it's been forever since I have updated, but I decided that since I have been having so much writer's block, that I would wait until I finished the entire story before updating again. So, if you are reading this, that means that the story is completely written and will be updated regularly again. Also, If you want to be my new beta or just a pre-reader, let me know. I am starting a new story when this is done and I would like someone to look over it and maybe tell me if I messed something up before I post. So, please let me know.**

**So, don't worry about it anymore, I will not even start a story on here until the whole thing is written, so everything will be updated regularly unless I lose internet or my computer gets stolen or something. =)**

**OH! And lastly, I give everyone full permission to totally yell at me and cuss me out and all that for not updating.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

_Previously:_

_I had been so distracted in my thoughts that I didn't hear the footsteps approaching me._

"_Bella?" The sound of his voice had me shooting up, completely alert and staring into those oh-so-familiar eyes._

_Bella's POV_

I stood up and stared at him, neither of us moving for what felt like forever. Why hadn't I heard him? Or smelt him? Ugh, that would have given me time to at least get into the woods and get out of here before I had to actually acknowledge his existence.

"Edward." I stated calmly, happy that the wind was blowing away from me so that I didn't have to smell him too much. I stayed where I was, but didn't relax my muscles, ready to pounce at any time I would need. "What are you doing here?" I asked, cautiously.

"This meadow is neutral ground. I like it here." He said the first part defensively, as if I was accusing him of breaking the treaty. The second part was simply his answer to my question. He took a step toward me and I took two back. Even though we were at least thirty feet apart, I didn't want him coming one step closer.

He raised his hands up, palms forward in front of him, in the universal sign of 'stay calm' or 'it's okay, I won't hurt you'. I rolled my eyes at him, but remained ready for a fight. I could easily beat him in one, he relies on his gift in fighting, and he can't use that on me.

"Listen, while we're here, I might as well ask you," I began, thinking about yesterday, "have you had any of your vampire friends over in the past day or so?"

Edward looked slightly surprised at this. "No." he answered slowly. "But, Alice did get a vision last night. She wasn't sure what it was all about, so she hasn't talked to anyone about it yet, but I saw it since I was around."

He stopped there. I waited a minute. "And….?" I prompted.

"Well. There were two vampires, a girl and a boy. The girl had red hair and the boy had blonde, I think." I immediately knew that he was talking about the same vampires that had tricked us yesterday. "It was a little complicated, but it looked like they were building a small army. Jasper would know more about it since he was involved in the southern vampire wars, when they were still going on. But, anyway. She had another glimpse and it looked like they were headed to Forks. They seemed really mad."

"No." I said immediately. "Not Forks, La Push." They were coming for revenge on their friend. I don't know how I knew it, I just did. "I've got to go talk to Sam. We may call later, to talk to Carlisle or Jasper."

"Wait, Bella!" he stopped me as I started running to the tree-line. "I wanted to talk to you." He said, and started walking slowly toward me.

"Look, Edward, I don't have time right now, this is urgent and I _have_ to call a pack meeting _right now_. If Sam decides that we should, then we will call someone and fill them in, for now, I've got to go." I didn't look back as I ran into the forest. I stripped out of my dress and put it in my mouth, phasing as I ran.

_Bella?_ Sam's voice immediately filled my head.

_Look Sam, we need to call a meeting. Now._ I didn't give any more information as I had reached the house. I phased back, got dressed and made my way into the house for the meeting that would be starting soon. I heard Sam howl the signal for an urgent meeting and not two minutes later, Sam and Emily's living room was filled with giant teenage werewolves.

_Sam's POV_

Everyone was gathered in the living room, waiting to hear what was so important. They were all looking at me expectantly and I turned to Bella.

"Okay." She began. "Well, you know those two vampires that got away yesterday? And you know how we killed the other one?" everyone nodded, waiting for the important part to kick in. "Well, here's the thing. So, I was in the woods earlier and I guess I went up to this clearing that I like, which, apparently is neutral ground?" she looked to me for confirmation.

"Yeah. I think there is a clearing somewhere around here like that." I said. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to that." she said, dismissing my question with a wave of her hand. "So, anyway, all of a sudden Edward shows up in the clearing and I figured I might as well ask him if he knew anything about the leeches." A low growl came from everyone at the thought of Bella being alone with a vampire. She rolled her eyes and continued, ignoring our calming growls. "Well, he said that he didn't know anything, but that Alice had had a vision of two vamps raising an 'army'. The description of them that he gave me sounded just like the two that got away. He said that it looked like they were bringing the army to Forks for some reason, but that she couldn't imagine why."

She shifted in Jacob's arms, so that she was sitting closer to him. "Well. I learned some stuff about vampires in the brief amount of time that I was around the Cullen's and the thing is that they are big on revenge. So I was thinking that the bloodsucker's who got away last night are probably planning an attack on us to avenge the other one's death. Of course they would have figured out by now that he's dead, so they are coming to kill us all." She said it with such simplicity that I almost wanted to take the whole thing in stride and not think about it. The leeches come, we kill them. But I knew it wasn't that easy and Bella's tense form only backed up that thought.

"Okay. Well, we need to find out what else the Cullen's know about these leeches and we need to come up with some kind of battle plan." I addressed everyone. "Bella, what exactly does it mean that she is building an army? How many? How experienced? All that sort of stuff."

She looked at me directly in the eye. "I don't know. I think we need to call in some help on this. I think we need to tell the Cullen's what is going on. Jasper dealt with all this vampire armies and stuff before in the southern vampire wars. Whatever those were. Anyway. I think we are going to need as much help as we can get and it's going to start with contacting Jasper and learning as much as we can from him as fast as we can learn it."

I didn't particularly like the idea of joining forces with our mortal…. Well, I guess immortal… enemies, but she was probably right.

"Okay." I said, somewhat reluctantly. "Do you still have their phone number? Can you get ahold of them?"

Bella stood from her place on the couch and headed toward the phone in the kitchen. "Yeah. I'll call Jasper right now. Do we want to meet up in the clearing?" she asked me as she dialed the number.

"Sure." I replied, and turned to Jacob as Bella talked on the phone. "Jake. I'm thinking that it's probably a good idea for you to step up as Alpha now. We need to be at our best when this thing comes and we need our rightful Alpha in order to be that." The rest of the pack was looking at Jake expectantly as he thought it over. "Look," I continued, "I know that you've been holding off because you don't think you're good enough, but that's not true, you're the best of all of us and you will be a much better wolf once you step up to Alpha. And that will make the rest of the pack better. You have good judgment, Jacob, you should be Alpha." I gave him a moment to think that over as Bella came back into the room.

"Okay, we are going to meet up now in the clearing, they are already on their way there." She informed us before looking around the room. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing." Jacob answered immediately. "I need to talk to you after we talk to the Cullen's, Bella." He told her, standing up and heading out the back door toward the woods.

Bella looked even more troubled and worried as she followed him outside. The rest of us made our way outside too and phased before heading to the clearing.

**DUN DUN DUN….. well isn't that just great. It seems like everything is going downhill for Bella right now. And here comes Victoria with her little newborn army ready to destroy everyone and everything in her path. How delightful! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey everyone. Thanks for all the new alerts and favorites on this story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

_Bella's POV_

Once I phased, I tried to find out what was wrong with Jacob, but he had blocked his thoughts by completely shifting them to the upcoming encounter with the Cullen's.

_Bella, can you block all our thoughts?_ Sam asked me as we all headed for the clearing.

I didn't respond, but quickly did as he asked. I was still worried about what Jake wanted to talk about later. I distantly heard Sam talking about how I should probably be the one to talk to Jasper since I knew him best.

I stopped short of the clearing while everyone else went ahead of me. I sniffed out a shirt and quickly phased back to my human self, changed into a giant dark blue t-shirt and ran the rest of the way to the clearing in human form. It didn't take long at all and I stepped out to see the tense postures of both parties involved there. The groups kept a lot of room between them. When I walked to the middle of the clearing in front of the pack, everyone visibly relaxed a little as I casually sat down in the grass. Jasper came and sat about seven feet in front of me.

Jacob whined because of how close I was to the vampire that had previously attacked him, before cautiously heading over to lie down next to me. Alice did the same with Jasper and I remembered to direct calm and happy feelings to Jasper as I ran my fingers on the fur at the nape of Jacob's wolf's neck. He laid his giant head in my lap, but stayed ready for an attack.

"Okay Bella, what's this all about?" Carlisle started off the conversation.

I looked to Carlisle briefly before returning my gaze to Jasper. This was really going to be a conversation between the two of us; everyone else was just here to listen.

I took a breath before starting. "Yesterday, one of my packmates came across a vampire trail on our side of the treaty line."

"But none of us—" Carlisle interrupted.

I cut him off. "I didn't say you did Carlisle. I'm not here to accuse anyone. I am here to talk to Jasper so that I can do everything in my power to save my family." I didn't mean for my voice to be as harsh as it came out. "Now, please, just let me get this out without being interrupted." Carlisle looked down ashamed, but said nothing.

I looked back at Jasper again. "As I was saying... He came across a trail, but it wasn't any of your family's scents. It was also a human drinking vampire scent. There were more than one of them and the trails split in two different directions, so we got the pack together and separated to follow both trails. It didn't take long to realize it was a trap, but by then it was too late. My group ran into one of them but took care of it without any serious injuries on our side. Sam's group, however, ran into two of them and one member of our pack got hurt, which is why we are one short today. He will be fine in another day, but it's not safe for him to phase right now. Anyway. I had led my group to where the others were fighting and once we got there the remaining two vampires ran off before we could get them. Sam led a group to chase them, but they still got away: a red headed female and a blonde male."

I heard a gasp from Alice as recognition crossed her face. She looked at me, concern on her face. I nodded and continued with the story. "I ran into Edward up here earlier and he told me about a vision Alice had had about two vampires creating an army and heading toward Forks. I put everything together with what I had learned from you about vampires and revenge, and I'm guessing that they are coming to La Push for revenge for the death of the one we killed." Jasper nodded, confirming my suspicions. "That's why I called you, Jasper. I need you to tell me everything about these 'armies' that you know so much about. Edward said you were involved in them during the civil war or something like that."

Jasper nodded and began speaking. "I was turned by a vampire named Maria. She was the leader of one of the newborn armies that were fighting for territory before the Volturi stopped the wars. I was Major Jasper Whitlock in the Confederate Army and she thought that my military background would make me a good candidate to command her troops. We created newborns and taught them to fight. After she changed me, our army quickly became the best and we were feared by many vampires. Even today, vampires are afraid of me because of my reputation as the 'God of War'. Vampires come out of their newborn phase after about a year and we killed them off because they lost their usefulness. Newborns are different from other vampires. They basically have one focus. Blood. They are unpredictable, which made them good for the wars. They aren't skilled in their way of fighting, though, they have no strategy. They rely completely on their newborn strength and speed in a fight. It's nothing like fighting the vampires that your pack has fought. If this female is bringing a newborn army against you, you aren't going to be ready for them. You have no idea how to fight them. There is no reason to their attacks; they only know that if they kill you, they can have blood, which is what the vampires will promise them to get them to fight. A lot of blood. It's like trying to stop a group of starving lions from eating a deer." Jasper finished and looked at me, an expression of worry on his face.

"Bella." He said softly. "We may not have gotten to know each other because of my lack of control, and you may be a wolf now, but you are still my sister. I will do anything I can to help you and your new family get through this and defeat this threat." I smiled at him thankfully, but wasn't sure what exactly he could do. Seemingly reading my mind, which I knew he couldn't do, but maybe my emotions gave me away. "If your Alpha will let me, I would like to maybe help to train you all how to fight these newborns that will be coming. There will probably be about twenty of them. And, again, with your Alpha's permission, I would like to be there, to fight with you when this happens." He was being completely sincere. "If the vampires recognize me, it could definitely break down their confidence and make them sloppy."

I turned my head to look at Sam. He nodded but looked pointedly at Jacob, telling me that I should ask him as well.

"What do you think, Jake?" I asked him, still running my hands through his fur. "Can Jasper train us?"

He lifted his head up from my lap just enough to nod before laying it back down and purring.

"Okay, so, we should get together tomorrow night I think. Paul should be feeling a lot better by then, so we can all meet here. How about at eight o'clock?"

Jasper agreed and I turned to Alice. "Can you tell when they are going to be here?" I asked her hopefully.

"I think it will be in about two and a half weeks, just before school ends. That's when their future disappears, but I can't really be completely positive. Being around you guys messes with my visions, everything is a little blurry." She said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

I nodded at that before saying goodbye and standing up to follow the rest of the pack into the woods.

A tugging on my shirt once I got into the woods made me look at Jake who whined and then started walking in another direction. I had completely forgotten about Jake needing to talk to me, but my worry and anxiousness was back full force now.

I followed Jake through the woods as he sniffed out a pair of shorts.

After putting the shorts on, he sat down, leaning against the trunk of a tree. He motioned for me to sit between his legs and I did so happily. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my back more firmly against his chest as I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I felt him burry his face in my neck and take in a few deep breaths. We sat like that for a few minutes, just being with each other.

"Bella." He finally said against my neck.

"Hmmm?" I asked, simply enjoying the sound of his voice.

He sighed and pulled away from me slightly. "Bella." He said again, Louder this time. His tone told me that this was serious.

I wanted to look at him when he told me whatever it was that he was going to tell me, so I turned in his lap, sitting sideways with my knees pulled up and my feet resting on the outside of his left leg.

He brought up his hand to run lightly through my hair once before he started.

"I want your opinion on something." He began, before sighing and seemingly changing the subject before we even got started. "Bella, no matter what happens, you are my imprint and I am yours. I love you with all my heart and I know that you love me, even if it is just from the imprint, but that's okay. I've always loved you, Bella, since we were little."

I went to interrupt him, to tell him that I loved him too, since we were kids, and that it wasn't just the imprint that made me love him, but he stopped me. "Don't. Just… Just let me talk right now." I closed my mouth reluctantly and waited for him to continue.

"You told me about what happened with Paul yesterday, and yeah, it hurt. A lot. But we can get through it, we have to and I love you so much. It may be hard, but we'll get through everything soon. We are going to need to talk about it though; we can't just leave it and try to forget about it, that's what got us in this mess in the first place, right?" I simply nodded, not able to look at him. "But Bella," he said, taking my chin in his hand and turning my face toward him, "I still love you. I always will, even without the imprint. It's going to be alright eventually, hun." I closed my eyes, willing myself to believe his words. It would all be just fine, we would be able to put this behind us and move on. We would never have to look back again. Ever.

"And in the end," he continued, "I am the rightful Alpha, and you are my mate. We have to be a team. We have to lead the pack. We have to set an example for the younger wolves. Like Seth." I smiled at the thought of Seth, he was so young and innocent; the poor kid really didn't see all the danger in this. And he's not the only one of the pack that doesn't understand the dangers of fighting vampires. "Bella. That's the main thing I need to talk to you about right now. Me. Being Alpha." I looked at him, shocked, but ready to hear what he had to say. "I know I've been putting it off, but Sam thinks I'm ready and he thinks that I need to take my place as soon as possible. Especially with these vamps coming now. And, you're my mate, Bella, and I want to make all of my decisions _with_ you. Like I said, we're a team, yeah?"

I nodded, smiling at him. "So," he asked, "what do you think I should do?"

I bit my bottom lip, thinking of how to describe my feelings in words. "Well." I said after a minute. "As much as I hate the idea of you putting yourself in even more danger by taking the roll of Alpha, I think I'm gonna have to agree with Sam. You are ready, you've always been ready, Jacob, you just didn't know it. And with this fight coming up, we are going to need a real leader. I mean, Sam's doing a great job, but he _isn't_ the rightful Alpha, _you_ are. And once you take your place, we will all be better as a pack. You'll know what to do; it's in your blood, Jake. And when you feel lost, I'll be there for you. I've loved you as long as I can remember, Jake, and I always will too. You can come to me with anything. You taking your place as Alpha is just right, it needs to be done. Very soon so that everyone can adjust before the army gets here. Like I said, I _hate_ the idea of you taking your place and possibly getting hurt, but I just know that if you don't take your place, it will be a lot worse for all of us." I finished, biting my lip again as I waited for his reply.

"Okay." He said, a moment later. "Okay. I guess we should go talk to Sam and the elders then."

Jacob kissed me quickly before we both stood up and phased into our wolf forms.

**So, Jake is gonna be Alpha, Bella seems to have something coming up with Edward that she will have to deal with, and to top it all off, Victoria is coming with her army of newborns, only this time, James is with her and Bella isn't defenseless like in the books.**

**DUN DUN DUN…**

**Luv y'all!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks again for reviews/alerts/favorites.**

**Sorry this is late. My computer pretty much fried last week. Haven't gotten a new one yet so I'm not quite sure when my next update will be, but it won't be too long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

_Bella's POV_

It's been a week since the meeting in the clearing with the Cullen's. It's also been a week since Jacob took his rightful place as alpha. Sam is now beta and I am third in command. The transition in the pack was smooth enough, everyone took it in stride and the pack has gotten better ever since Jake took his place. The one problem with the switching of roles is between Jake and Sam themselves. Although they both knew what Jake taking the place of alpha meant, they seem to be struggling with finding the right balance between themselves now. Sometimes Sam will feel like Jake should listen to him and do as he says and sometimes Jake hates the fact that he can just make any of us do what he wants us to with the power of the alpha. Things have gotten better than they first were, over the week Jake has become more confident in himself and his judgment and Sam has begun to realize his place and accept the transition.

We have all been training with Jasper and the other Cullen's every night this past week. We meet in the clearing as he teaches us about the newborns and how they fight. We have all improved in our fighting, as well as the Cullen's, who have all decided to fight alongside us; even Rosalie.

I still haven't patched things up completely with Leah, she isn't mad at me, but she isn't friendly toward me either. She is simply polite, as if we are strangers or just getting to know each other. Jacob and Paul are the same way and I feel horrible for what I did to all of them. Working at the restaurant with Leah is slightly better, we fall back into a more light and care free way of life, we are even friendly toward each other there. I know that she has forgiven me, but I also know that she hasn't fully re-accepted me yet. I long for the day that she does. I miss our friendship so much and wish that there was something, anything, that I could do to make her accept me as her friend again sooner. Sue knows what happened and assures me that Leah will be my friend again and that I just have to give her time.

A week and a half. That's what we have until the vampires get here. A week and a half until the big fight, but Alice can't tell us any more than that. She can't see the outcome because she can't see past me and the other wolves. I had wondered in the beginning how she was going to be able to fight since she relies on her gift in a fight, but she assured me that she would be fine, if she focuses just on the vampire that she is fighting with rather than the entire battle, she will be able to see its decisions. "Besides," she tells me as we sit watching Emmett and Carlisle fight while Jasper observes, "since the vampires we are gonna be fighting are just newborns they should be no problem to kill once Jasper says that we are ready. They don't fight with skill, so we just need to be smarter than them."

I accept her words and go back to watching the training, Jasper is telling Emmett that he has to stop relying on his strength because in a fight with newborns he will lose if he does that. This doesn't make Emmett very happy and he lunges at Jasper, but Jasper sidesteps him and grabs his leg as he passes, flinging him into a nearby tree. "This is exactly what I mean, Emmett." says Jasper before turning back to the rest of us. Emmett gets up, grumbling something about stupid vampires that think they know everything. I can't help the smile that crosses my lips at his childlike behavior sometimes. Jasper divides us up into pairs, having us fight against each other as practice.

I'm paired with Rosalie, which pretty much means that both of us are fine attacking each other. She never did like me and my change into a wolf doesn't seem to have changed that at all. If it were Esme, I would probably have problems using my full force against her, she's just so sweet.

Rosalie turns out to be a really good partner, she is stronger and tougher than she looks, even for a vampire. I win sometimes and she wins sometimes. By the end of the night I think we may actually be getting along a little bit, although neither of us can stand the smell of the other.

When training is over with for the night Jacob and I are scheduled for patrols, but Leah asks if she and Jake can switch shifts. He looks at me, asking if this is alright with me and I nod my consent. I don't know why Leah wants to switch shifts with Jake, but I can only assume that it is because she wants to talk to me privately.

As we start patrolling, heading in opposite directions from the clearing, I block off my thoughts, not wanting anyone else to hear my wondering what Leah wants. I can also tell that Leah is guarding her own thoughts by thinking about a new recipe that she came across and wants to try. It's a chocolate cake with some kind of filling and chocolate syrup drizzled over the top with strawberries. It looks amazing in her mind and has the rest of the pack drooling as they try to head home faster so that they can grab something to eat.

Once everyone has phased out except for Leah and I, everything is quiet for a while. I drop my shield, but don't invade her thoughts. She will talk to me when she is ready, I just focus on the forest floor beneath my paws, the air rushing through my fur as I run through the woods and the sounds and smells all around me. This goes on for about an hour. Neither of us has come across anything and Leah hasn't yet said anything to me. I'm beginning to wonder if she ever wanted to talk to me at all or if she really just needed to swap patrols because she had something else going on.

Thirty minutes later she finally says something.

_I understand._ She says.

I wait for more, but that is it. She just keeps running. Not saying anything else to me.

_What?_ I finally ask her.

_I understand._ She repeats. _I understand why you and Paul kissed and I forgive you and I'm okay with it._

This totally throws me, my running feet come to a halt and I stand in the forest stunned.

Leah notices. _Okay, well, I don't mean that I'm okay with it in the way that you are thinking, idiot._ I can practically see her rolling her eyes at me. _I mean that it's okay that it happened and I'm not upset with you._

_Why?_ I ask as I resume my running.

_Because. … because when Sam left me I would have given anything to get a little closure. I did, eventually, but it was painful and I never wanted to date anyone else again, I didn't want to go through that again, didn't want to face the possibility of being tossed aside like that again. That is why I never dated anyone else, why I stayed so angry. Then Paul came and… I don't know, it was okay. I liked him, and I felt like he would never hurt me like Sam had. I opened up to him like I had promised myself I would never open up to anyone ever again, but it was okay. Because it was Paul. And I knew he loved me. I didn't know_ why _he loved me, but I knew that he did. And… so I understand, because I would have wanted the same thing with Sam. I don't need it anymore, I took care of that on my own, but you did. And as your friend, I would have wanted you to go through what I went through with Sam and Emily. And I wouldn't have wanted you to end up hating me._

I began to protest, that I would have never hated her, but she kept going.

_Once I found out why he left me for her I understood, but that didn't mean that I accepted it or liked it or could even tolerate it. I don't completely hate them anymore, but I certainly don't like them. Emily I can get along with and even like being around sometimes now that I have Paul. But Sam… I don't know if I will ever forgive him. I know that he had to leave me. I accepted that the moment I found out about the imprint, but I can't forgive him for the way he treated me. He could have gone about it in a completely different way and it would have been better. Not okay, but better. But he didn't._

_Bella, I don't want to fight with you, and I want us to be friends again, I really miss you._

This seemed to be the end of her speech. So I decided to reply. _I want to be friends again too Leah, and I'm so happy that you forgive me. I've missed you too, but I wanted to give you your space and let you work everything out on your own. I'm so sorry for never telling you or Jake about Paul and I. We should have, but… I guess we were just so scared… scared that you would hate us or something. I don't know. I just… thank you for forgiving me, Leah._

Leah's thoughts were happy and less stressed now. _So, will you please come move back in?_ She asked me suddenly.

I smiled. _I would love to. Our shift is almost up, I'm gonna sleep at Sam and Emily's tonight, but I promise to move back in tomorrow._

_Sounds good to me._ Said Leah.

I turned around and started heading back toward Sam and Emily's house to get a good night's sleep.

**Okay, so I know that was short, but the story is coming to an end. I know, I didn't expect it to be this short either, but… it is. :(**

**Love you all :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**So so so sorry for the delay. Here's the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters used in this story.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

_Bella's POV_

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the fight; Alice had a vision of where it was going to take place. Today, we were preparing, all of us training one last time before tomorrow. We had all met up in the field where the fight would take place and we were going to sleep there tonight. Well, the wolves were going to sleep there; the Cullen's, of course, would not be doing any sleeping. We were training hard today, perfecting our techniques and putting all we had into everything we were doing. Jasper was tough on us, but when it was finally time that we all settled down for the night, the wolves ready to sleep; he said that we would certainly win the fight, hopefully with no casualties.

Charlie didn't know about the fight, I never told him because I didn't want him to worry. He worries enough as it is and I couldn't afford the chance of him being distracted at work. His job could be far too dangerous if it came to it.

I lay down in the grass next to Jake; we were staying in our wolf forms as it was safer and also more comfortable while sleeping on the forest floor. I curled my wolf body into his, laying my giant head on his back, purring as I started to drift off to sleep. I could feel Jacob's own purrs vibrating his body beneath my head.

I woke up early in the morning, starving. Esme and Alice had apparently decided to go get food for us while we were asleep, as they had started a fire and were very cautiously trying to make eggs and bacon for us. I jogged into the trees and phased back to human form before coming out and taking over the cooking so that they didn't burn an arm off or something. Leah helped me when she woke up too.

The food didn't last long, but all of us were full, well, as full as a teenage werewolf could get, and ready to fight.

Our plan was to take the vamps by surprise, so the wolves would wait in the clearing while the Cullen's hid in the trees surrounding the area. According to Jasper, our scent would be so strong and foul to the newborns that they would be doing everything to not breathe it in, so they wouldn't smell the Cullen's.

We hadn't been waiting around for long before Edward latched onto the thoughts of one of the newborns, the forest seemed to get even quieter than it already was. The Cullen's quickly escaped to the edges of the clearing, climbing to the tops of the trees and getting as much out of sight as possible just minutes before the first newborn broke through the tree line and the fight began.

There were about thirty of them total, not counting the red head and the blond leeches we had fought before, who hadn't left the forest yet. We wolves fought mostly solo, taking down the newborns on our own while the Cullen's worked in pairs. Esme would grab her next victim while Carlisle dismembered him and cast the pieces into the fire from breakfast that morning. Alice still looked like she was dancing as she gracefully did flips in the air over one of the newborns and pulled his head off while still in the air. Jasper fought strategically, taking on more than one opponent, but using them against each other. He was right, the newborns were strong, but they fought sporadically, without any structure or strategy. They were easy to overcome in single hand-to-hand, or paw, combat.

I saw the red head and the blond exit the forest and quickly enter into battle with some of us. While fighting one of the stronger newborns, I kept an eye on a fight between the blond and Jake, with Paul helping. The red head mostly evaded attacks rather than actually fighting, keeping an eye on her mate. My fight was taking longer than it should have since I wasn't putting everything into it, using half my attention to watch Jake. The blond was talented and knew what he was doing, I wondered if he had a special power like Alice and Jasper, but finally Jake gained the upper hand and got a hold of his arm, tossing it into the fire. His scream got the attention of the redhead and she ran away from the fight she was in with Esme and Carlisle straight at Jake as he finished off the blond.

The threat to my mate was apparent and I immediately and instinctively overcame the newborn I had been fighting, throwing him to the side and registering somewhere in the back of my mind that Jared and Leah were taking care of him now, the redhead was close as Jake threw the last piece of her mate into the fire, his back to her. I pushed myself across the field as quickly as possible and barely intercepted her in time, instead of attacking Jake, she hit my side. I felt a couple ribs crack and maybe break and my right shoulder blade was dislodged, causing me to fall over on top of her. Ignoring the pain, I shifted my weight to my left side and let my instincts to protect my mate completely take over. She was fast and strong and angry, and I was hurt, but in my wolf form I was bigger and stronger than her, no longer faster since I couldn't use my right front leg correctly. She didn't leave openings or weak spots, she fought ferociously and without remorse, but that would be her downfall. As she gained the upper hand she began to let her guard down a little bit and as I slowed down from the pain and exhaustion she made one mistake for a split second, but it was enough.

My protective instincts were still overpowering everything and when she left a tiny opening, I used the last of my strength to plunge forward in that split second and bite her around the torso hard enough to take out a chunk, her surprise allowed me to quickly bite her head off and toss it into the closest fire before using my hind leg to kick the rest of her body into the fire. As he screams stopped, so did my vision and everything went completely black as I fell to the ground, unconscious.

**Sorry for taking so long guys, turns out after my last post my computer did die. Started smoking and stuff. I still don't know what on earth happened to it. So I had to rewrite everything and school started back up and... yeah. Sorry. But here's this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it and the next one should be up soon.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and here is the final chapter. **

**Thanks for the reviews and favorites. :) You guys make my day.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

_Jake's POV_

My world stopped. I couldn't move for a minute as I saw the end of Bella's fight with the red head. She collapsed to the ground and everything around me became a blur except for her as I saw the large gashes in her side and the dark read blood that covered her white fur. She hadn't phased back to human when she passed out, she probably didn't have the strength, even in unconsciousness. As the ringing in my ears stopped and the world came back into view I briefly registered Jasper and Emmet finishing off the last of the newborns and everyone else clearing up the field of any remaining body parts, then I was running to Bella, my thoughts consumed with one word, "NO!"

When I reached her side, I realized that she was still alive, only just. Her breathing was so shallow that even in wolf form I had to work to hear it. The doctor vamp came over and started checking on her. "We've got to get her back to our house. Now." He said urgently.

Jared, Sam, Leah and I phased back and carried her giant wolf form as quickly and as carefully as possible back to the Cullen's house. Paul would have come, but his leg had gotten torn up pretty bad in the fight with the blonde male vamp we had been fighting and the others carried him back to the reservation where he could heal.

Everything moved so quickly, yet slowly at the same time when we got the doc's house. He had us lay her down on the kitchen table while he ran upstairs to get his medical supplies. I vaguely registered him returning and pushing us out of the room so he could work. I didn't hear a word he or anyone else said, there was a thrumming in my ears, a beating, like a heart beat and all my attention was focused on Bella. Once we were out of the kitchen and I couldn't see Bella anymore, the noise stopped and everything around me came back into view again. I could hear her heart beating faintly from the other side of the doors and I began to pace, knowing that I needed to stay out of the doctor's way. Leah was on one of the couches, crying. Her best friend and her imprint had both been injured in the battle. I had never seen her look so defeated, not even when she had found out about Paul and Bella.

About five minutes passed before I heard Bella's heart stop.

My control flew out the window and I rushed for the door.

"Keep him out of here!" I heard the doc yell before Sam and Jared were both holding me back from the door. I fought them the whole time, listening to the movements in the kitchen, a few seconds later, her heart started again and I relaxed marginally.

It took about twenty minutes before he came out of the kitchen, hands covered in blood, but looking hopeful. My expression must have asked all the questions in my head because he said "I think she'll be okay. She needs to rest and hopefully the wolf genes will work to repair her injuries. He heart beat is getting stronger, less spluttering. I've done everything I can. It's up to her now."

I thanked him before walking quickly into the kitchen. She was still in wolf form on the table, I briefly wondered how the table was supporting her weight as a wolf. She was hooked up to some IV's. I honestly don't know how he got them into her veins, but that wasn't important. It was probably morphine or something like that to keep her asleep and keep her from phasing to human too early. The doc said she shouldn't shift with all her injuries because it could cause more issues.

She stayed asleep for the rest of the day and into the night. Finally, about mid-afternoon the next day her heart beat was back to normal, strong and sure. He breathing had evened out sometime during the night and she seemed to be healing up nicely. I stayed with her the whole time. Leah left for the night to stay with Paul but came back this morning with him, his injuries almost completely healed. They let me know that everyone else was fine and everyone on our side, including all the Cullen's made it out okay. There were minor injuries on some of the others, but Bella and Paul were the only ones really hurt.

Around dinner time Bella phased back to human, I rushed into the living room to grab a blanket to throw over her body and about fifteen minutes later she woke up. Carlisle had removed the IV's from her a few hours ago saying that she would be fine and should wake up sometime tonight. Apparently the doc knew his stuff.

Her eyes blinked open and she found me immediately. "Hey." I smiled at her. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay." She answered, her voice a little hoarse. I got her a glass of water and she drank it down quickly, holding it out to me obviously asking for another one.

After her third glass of water she sat up a little bit, holding the blanket around her. Her hand went to her head for a minute, apparently the motion made her a little dizzy. "Are you okay?" she asked me suddenly, checking me over for any injuries. Her voice was still quiet, but she sounded a little better.

"I'm fine." I answered her. "Just a few scrapes and bruises, but they've healed by now. Do you need anything?"

She looked down at the blanket around her and moved to swing her legs off the table. "Some clothes would be nice." She replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

Esme must have heard her up, because she appeared in the room a moment later. "Can you walk, Bella?" she asked her. "I've got some clothes in the bathroom and you may want to take a shower to wash the blood off."

Bella nodded and slid off the table, but she wobbled and began to fall when he feet hit the floor. I caught her easily and passed her off to Esme who helped her to the bathroom. I worried that she might not be able to stand in the shower and might hurt herself, but I didn't voice my thoughts because I knew Bella would hate the idea of not being able to do basic things without help.

While she was in the bathroom Leah, Paul and I sat around, mostly silently while we waited for her. We were all relieved to have her awake and okay. Carlisle came down after a little while to let us know that she needed to not phase for a few days while her body finished healing itself. The damage to her ribs especially had been extensive enough that even would healing apparently would take a few days at least.

_Bella's POV_

I had to hang onto the shower curtain rail to keep from falling over while I washed my body clean. The clothes that Esme had for me were mine, I noticed. Leah must have brought them over for me, I had seen her in the living room on the way to the bathroom. Slowly the strength in my legs began to return to me, but the pain in my shoulder and ribs remained. It wasn't unbearable, but I could tell it might take a while for my body to completely heal itself. Knowing that it would, though, was what mattered. I wasn't beyond repair.

After getting dressed I stayed in the bathroom for a while, practicing standing so that I could walk on my own. I hated the idea of needing assistance for such menial tasks. After I was convinced I could at least make it to a couch in the living room I did just that. Jake came to me the moment he saw me and offered his aid, but I was determined to make it on my own, although I took his hand in mine, smiling up at him. I hugged Esme and Carlisle, thanking them both for taking care of me, but I wanted to go home. Jake called Charlie and ten minutes later he was helping me into the front seat of the cruiser and climbing into the back himself. I had to laugh at the sigh of Jake in the back of a police car which made him grimace, but I could see the smile in his eyes at my laughter.

As Charlie drove us back to the reservation I knew that everything was going to be okay. I had Jake and the whole pack to help me recover. I smiled happily as we entered La Push and went to Sam and Emily's house, where there was food. I don't think I had ever been so hungry in my life.

That night, Jake made love to me before we fell asleep in each others' arms. He was my imprint, my mate, and the man that I would be with forever. I loved him with all my heart and soul, and I knew he loved me just as much. Everything was going to be just fine.

**Well, that's the end. I hope you all enjoyed the story. I may add an epilogue if you all want me to. Thanks for reading. :)**


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